Russian court jails Kremlin critic for 11 years for opposing the war in Ukraine

Kremlin Critic Lev Shlosberg Sentenced to Over a Decade in Prison Over Anti-War Remarks

Qwenews.com – A Moscow-adjacent court in Pskov handed down an 11-year-and-one-month prison term on Monday to Lev Shlosberg, the 63-year-old deputy chairman of Russia’s Yabloko party, after finding him guilty of speaking against the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The ruling arrives just weeks before the Sept. 18–20 parliamentary election and marks the latest escalation in the Kremlin’s campaign to silence domestic opposition to the war that began in February 2022.

Charges and Trial Details

Shlosberg, who represented Pskov in its regional legislature between 2016 and 2021, faced prosecution in that same city—roughly 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the capital. Prosecutors alleged he had “discredited” the Russian armed forces and disseminated “false information” about them. The evidence cited included a public debate in which he urged an end to hostilities, as well as a post on his Telegram channel reproducing a British tabloid’s front page. That page showed a bloodied woman positioned beside an image of President Vladimir Putin under the headline: “Her blood … his hands.”

Shlosberg dismissed the accusations as baseless. It was his second criminal trial within two years. He had also been labeled a “foreign agent”—a designation carrying heavy stigma in Russian public life and triggering intensified state oversight—and was separately found guilty of breaching the rules governing that status. Since December 2025, he has remained in pretrial detention on the newer charges.

Shlosberg’s Final Words

In a closing address delivered to the court on Friday, Shlosberg reflected on three decades of Russian political life, declaring that the country had followed

“a path from hopes for freedom to the almost complete destruction of human and civil rights and freedoms.”

He added that the Ukrainian war had

“changed the lives of every Russian citizen without exception,”

and warned that when the full death toll eventually emerges,

“the entire country will shudder.”

Yabloko’s Response and the Ballot Fight

The party characterized the verdict as a

“barbaric sentence”

handed down for

“love of the Motherland and calls for a ceasefire.”

In a Telegram statement, Yabloko confirmed that Shlosberg intends to appeal. The party has endured mounting Kremlin pressure in recent years, with several senior members either imprisoned or tagged as foreign agents.

In a parallel ruling also issued Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court rejected Yabloko’s appeal and affirmed its earlier decision to strike the party from the ballot for the upcoming State Duma election. The Central Election Commission had permitted Yabloko to compete alongside ten other parties back in July. Young social-media users and numerous exiled opposition figures subsequently rallied behind the party, urging voters to support what was once a leading liberal voice in parliament before it lost its seat bloc as the Kremlin consolidated political control.

Yabloko’s campaign messaging for this cycle included the slogans

“For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!”

“Our goal is to prevent nuclear war!”

“For a Russia free from fear and political repression!”

Several Kremlin-aligned parties publicly attacked Yabloko for its anti-war position once it secured a ballot slot. The Motherland Party took the matter to the Supreme Court, demanding removal on grounds of alleged copyright infringement and campaign-spending overruns. It also characterized Yabloko’s Ukraine stance as unlawful—effectively tantamount to advocating violation of Russia’s territorial integrity.

International Reaction

Amnesty International condemned the verdict swiftly. Marie Struthers, the organization’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, stated:

“His arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace.”

She continued:

“The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Lev Shlosberg and quash his conviction. They must repeal legislation criminalizing peaceful anti-war expression, end the persecution of Yabloko members and supporters, and respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and political participation for all Russians.”

The conviction underscores how little tolerance remains in Russia, now in the fifth year of its war against Ukraine, for any organized political voice that questions the conflict.