Russian court sentences anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison

A court in the Russian city of Pskov has sentenced 63-year-old opposition politician Lev Shlosberg, a deputy leader of the Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in prison for 'public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.' Shlosberg, one of the few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, told the judge upon hearing the verdict: 'I feel sorry for you, Your Honor, you have to live with this.' The Yabloko party, the only anti-war party still functioning in Russia, called the ruling a 'tragedy of the disintegration of modern Russian justice' and vowed to challenge the prosecution through all lawful means. Amnesty International condemned the sentencing as a 'blatant reprisal' for exercising the right to freedom of expression. Shlosberg, a long-time critic of Moscow’s actions since the 2014 annexation of Crimea, was charged over his participation in online debates and for sharing articles critical of the war.