A Russian court sentenced a prominent opposition party member who opposes the war with Ukraine to 11 years and 1 month in prison on charges of spreading false news and damaging the military's credibility.
Foreign news agencies reported on Monday, 17 Aug 2026 GMT+7, that Lev Shlosberg, a 63-year-old key opposition politician and deputy leader of the liberal Yabloko party, was sentenced by a court in the city of Pskov to 11 years and 1 month in prison.
The reports state that Shlosberg was found guilty of "undermining the credibility" of the Russian military and "spreading false information" about the military through posts on social media.
Shlosberg denied all charges, saying the verdict was merely a sham investigation aimed at punishing those with differing political views. He reiterated his call for Russia to cease fire with Ukraine and resume political negotiations.
Meanwhile, Russia's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the Yabloko party, resulting in the party being banned from nominating candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Yabloko is the only officially registered political party opposing the invasion of Ukraine.
The party was removed from the parliamentary elections on allegations of supporting the "international LGBT movement," which Russia classifies as an extremist ideology, as well as copyright infringement claims filed by pro-government parties. Yabloko denies all the allegations.
Currently, Russia has only 10 political parties eligible to field candidates in parliamentary elections, all of which support the war in Ukraine.
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Source:bbc