Russian Judge Sentences Opposition Politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 Years in Prison

A judge in Russia's Pskov region sentenced Lev Shlosberg, a senior figure in the liberal Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in prison on charges of 'discrediting' the Russian military and spreading 'fake news' about it, Russian media reported Monday. Prosecutors had requested a 12-year-and-one-month sentence.

The punishment partly folds in a previous November 2025 conviction, when Shlosberg received 420 hours of community service for violating Russia's 'foreign agent' law, according to the exiled outlet Mediazona.

Shlosberg pleaded not guilty and accused prosecutors of 'discrediting' Russian law themselves. In his final statement to the court, he described himself as an innocent man unlawfully charged and unlawfully deprived of liberty both before and after the verdict.

Basis of the charges

The 'fakes' charge relates to a Telegram post from Feb. 25, 2022, in which Shlosberg reshared content from the now-shuttered Ekho Moskvy radio station, featuring a British tabloid cover showing President Vladimir Putin next to a bloodied woman. Shlosberg argued the post predated Russia's wartime censorship legislation.

The separate 'discrediting' charge stems from a January 2025 public debate in which he was accused of calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Shlosberg denied posting video of the debate online and said the statements cited by prosecutors were actually made by his opponent in the debate.

Procedural concerns

Independent outlets reported irregularities throughout the proceedings. Novaya Gazeta said the presiding judge declined to question Shlosberg directly, instead reading transcripts from earlier hearings. After all three of his defense lawyers missed sessions due to illness and scheduling conflicts, the judge appointed a state-provided lawyer and rejected motions to reject that representation.

The verdict was announced the same day Russia's Supreme Court heard Yabloko's appeal against a decision to cancel the registration of its federal candidate list for next month's State Duma elections.