{
  "id": 1559838,
  "title": "Prominent anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg sentenced to 11 years behind bars for speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/prominent-anti-war-politician-lev-shlosberg-sentenced-to-11-years",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T20:47:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Insider",
    "slug": "the-insider",
    "url": "https://theins.press/en/news/296134"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prominent anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony for allegedly discrediting the Russian armed forces and spreading fake news, according to the Pskov City Court. Shlosberg, a 63-year-old deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, was convicted on charges of spreading false information about the army. The judge took into account an earlier sentence under Russia's \"foreign agent\" law when delivering the final sentence. Shlosberg's defense lawyers did not appear at the hearing, and a state-appointed lawyer was not prepared to argue. Shlosberg himself was not questioned in court despite his objections. In his final statement, Shlosberg described the case as a political exercise rather than a legal one, emphasizing that the objective is to punish him for his stance rather than to establish the truth. He challenged the court, warning that turning the law into a political weapon would have historical consequences.",
  "summary": "Earlier today, judge Viktoria Malyamova of the Pskov City Court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, the 63-year-old deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party and a well-known anti-war politician, to 11 years and one month in a general-regime penal colony. Shlosberg was convicted on charges of repeatedly “ discrediting ” the Russian armed forces and spreading “ fake news ” about the army, according to a…",
  "key_points": [
    "Lev Shlosberg sentenced to 11 years for anti-war stance",
    "Convicted on spreading false info about Russian army",
    "Judge cited earlier foreign agent law sentence"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Qatar Tribune",
        "title": "Russia’s top court confirms exclusion of anti-war party from election",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/russias-top-court-confirms-exclusion-of-anti-war-party-from-election",
        "published": "2026-08-17T21:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}