Lev Shlosberg Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
A court in Pskov punished the deputy chairman of the Yabloko party for criticizing the war in Ukraine, while the Supreme Court on the same day upheld the ban on the party's participation in elections.
A court in Pskov punished the deputy chairman of the Yabloko party for criticizing the war in Ukraine, while the Supreme Court on the same day upheld the ban on the party's participation in elections.
Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg was sentenced on Monday, August 17, 2026, to 11 years and 1 month in a penal colony for "discrediting" the Russian armed forces and "spreading false information" about them, according to BBC World. The verdict was handed down by a court in the city of Pskov in northwestern Russia.
Shlosberg, 63, the deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, condemned the verdict, saying its sole purpose was "to punish a person for his political, public, and civic stance." His party has announced an appeal. During the trial, according to a Reuters report, Shlosberg described the war in Ukraine as "a catastrophe for Russia."
The verdict was delivered just minutes before Russia's Supreme Court rejected Yabloko's appeal against the ban on participating in the parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18-20, 2026. Yabloko was removed from the ballot earlier this month. The Supreme Court's decision to ban the party from the elections was made on August 10, as reported by the independent news outlet Mediazona and other sources.
The Yabloko party was the only registered party in Russia that openly opposed the invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022. All other election participants, a total of 10, support the war in Ukraine.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of 12 years and 1 month in prison. Criminal charges were filed following Shlosberg's comments posted on social media. The court in Pskov found him guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation."
In his final statement, Shlosberg again rejected all charges, describing the trial as "a mockery of an investigation" aimed at "achieving an obviously unlawful goal," according to a transcript published by Novaya Gazeta. The opposition politician also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine and the start of "political dialogue." The presiding judge repeatedly interrupted him. According to reports, in his final speech before the court in Pskov last Friday, Shlosberg maintained his innocence and claimed he was the victim of a political process.
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, nearly all remaining opposition to President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for almost 27 years, has been crushed. Public protests are suppressed under wartime censorship laws and can result in hefty fines or long prison sentences.
Yabloko was removed from the ballot earlier this month over allegations that the party publicly supports "the international LGBT movement," which Russia's Supreme Court designates as extremist. A lawsuit by the pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina also claimed that Yabloko was guilty of copyright infringement. The party denies all charges.
According to the state pollster VCIOM, the rating of the ruling United Russia party fell earlier this month to 32.1 percent, the lowest figure since May. Despite this, it is widely believed that the Kremlin has the resources to achieve the desired outcome in the elections. Independent election observers have been stripped of much of their ability to monitor and challenge the process.
