Russia jails opposition politician Lev Shlosberg for 11 years over Ukraine war criticism

Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony over anti-war statements and a social-media repost. His record stretches from exposing the covert deployment of Russian paratroopers to Ukraine in 2014 to demanding an immediate ceasefire after the full-scale invasion. His radical pacifism has also drawn strong criticism from Ukrainians and other Kremlin opponents, but his imprisonment – on the same day the Yabloko party was kept off the parliamentary ballot – shows that Russia is erasing even its most cautious legal opposition to the war.

Click to expand Image Lev Shlosberg, deputy leader of the Yabloko party, stands in the defendant's box prior to the delivery of the verdict in the case against him, in a court in Pskov, Russia, August 17, 2026. © 2026 AP Photo A court in northwestern Russia, on August 17, sentenced opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and one month in prison for repeatedly “discrediting” and spreading false information about the Russian army.Shlosberg is the deputy leader of the opposition party “Yabloko,” which has openly called for a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine.The same day Shlosberg was convicted, “Yabloko” lost its appeal against the Supreme Court’s August 10 decision to cancel the party’s registration for the upcoming parliamentary elections. As a result, no pro-peace parties remain on the September ballot.The court found that Shlosberg, who was indicted for spreading false information and discrediting the Russian army in December and June 2025, respectively, had spread “false information” by reposting a Daily Mirror cover depicting a wounded Ukrainian teacher next to an image of the Russian President Vladimir Putin entitled “her blood … his hands.” The “discreditation” charges stemmed from a recording of Shlosberg’s online public debates about Russia’s war in Ukraine.In January 2025, Russian authorities barred him from leaving Russia. They subsequently placed him under house arrest in June 2025 and then pretrial detention in December 2025.This is not the first time Russian authorities have targeted Shlosberg for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since 2022, courts have repeatedly fined him for “discrediting” the Russian army. Using Russia’s draconian law designed to stifle and stigmatize independent voices, authorities labeled Shlosberg a “foreign agent” in 2023. After uploading five videos to his social media page without having added a “foreign agent” disclaimer, in November 2025 a court ordered that Shlosberg perform 420 hours of mandatory labor, —even though he was under house arrest at the time.Shlosberg’s harsh sentencing, the Yabloko party’s canceled registration to participate in upcoming elections, and mass detentions of its supporters underscore the severe, ongoing restrictions on freedom of speech and peaceful assembly in Russia today and the denial of political plurality. Shlosberg should be set free.

AP —  A Russian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician for speaking out against the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison in the latest crackdown leading up to next month’s parliamentary election. The verdict against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko party, was another … The post Russian court jails Kremlin critic for 11 years for opposing the war in Ukraine appeared first on Egypt Independent.

Shlosberg, 63, is Yabloko's deputy chairman and served in the regional legislature of Pskov from 2016-21. He stood trial on charges of "discrediting" and spreading "false information" about the Russian military.

Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko party, was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison on Monday.

A court in Russia has convicted Yabloko party politician Lev Shlosberg for speaking against the Ukraine war and sentenced him to 11 years and a month in prison.

A Russian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician for speaking out against the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison in the latest crackdown leading up to next month’s parliamentary election. The verdict against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko party, was another step by the Kremlin to stifle dissent since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. Yabloko is the only official political party overtly opposing the war. In a...

Lev Shlosberg of the Yabloko party has been sentenced to over 11 years in a penal colony for criticizing the war in Ukraine. "A single person is imprisoned, yet fear seeps into the hearts of millions," he said in court.

A senior member of Russia’s liberal Yabloko party was sentenced on Monday to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for condemning the war in Ukraine, which he described at his trial as a catastrophe for Russia. Lev Shlosberg, the party’s deputy chairman, was accused of discrediting Russia’s armed forces and spreading false […]

Lev Schlosberg is found guilty of "discrediting" Russia's army - a verdict he condemns as punishment for his political position.

Lev Shlosberg has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and was charged over his participation in an online debate about the war and for sharing articles critical of it.

Russian court jails antiwar politician Lev Shlosberg for years

Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years in jail on Monday

The veteran Yabloko politician was found guilty of “discrediting” and spreading “fake news” about the Russian military.

The veteran opposition politician is accused of “discrediting” and spreading “fake news” about the Russian armed forces.