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Russia's prominent anti-war politician jailed for 11 years
bbc.com • • world
Key Points:
- Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for "discrediting" the armed forces and "spreading false information" about them, charges stemming from his anti-war comments on social media.
- Shlosberg condemned the verdict as politically motivated, and his party, Yabloko, plans to appeal the decision, while the Supreme Court simultaneously rejected Yabloko's appeal to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
- Yabloko, the only registered party opposing Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was barred from the September elections amid accusations of supporting the "international LGBT movement," labeled extremist by Russian authorities.
- The Russian government has intensified crackdowns on dissent since the invasion, with censorship laws imposing heavy fines and prison sentences for public opposition to President Vladimir Putin's policies.
- The ruling United Russia party's popularity has declined to 32.1%, the lowest since May, according to state pollster VCIOM, as all other parties in the election support the war in Ukraine.
