Eleven years for a Russian opposition politician's words: reactions to Shlosberg's sentence

A court in Pskov has sentenced Lev Shlosberg, the 63-year-old deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in a penal colony. The charges centered on repeatedly 'discrediting' the Russian army and spreading 'fake news' about the military, with prosecutors citing his participation in public debates and his repost of a Daily Mirror cover featuring Vladimir Putin as formal grounds.

Shlosberg is among the few Russian politicians who have continued to openly oppose the war in Ukraine while remaining inside the country. In his final statement to the court, he spoke of the need to end the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, though the presiding judge repeatedly interrupted him.

A wave of reactions

Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov and party founder Grigory Yavlinsky called the verdict a tragedy for Russian justice, pointing out that Shlosberg was punished for calling for a ceasefire to save lives and for criticizing local governance. Leonid Volkov of the Anti-Corruption Foundation described the sentence as nightmarish yet entirely expected, calling for Putin's regime to be brought down as soon as possible.

Andrei Pivovarov of the Anti-War Committee expressed hope that the question of power in Russia would be resolved before Shlosberg's term ends. Journalists and politicians including Yury Dud, Katerina Gordeeva and Yekaterina Duntsova described the sentence as retaliation for Shlosberg's honesty and consistent anti-war stance, noting that his punishment exceeds sentences often given for violent crimes.

Others, including former Navalny campaign coordinator Ksenia Fadeeva and journalist Masha Slonim, cautioned against assuming the sentence would never be fully served, recalling that Alexei Navalny also never completed his 19-year term — but only because he died in custody.