Moscow court sentences Yabloko deputy chair Maxim Kruglov to seven years for social media posts

A Moscow court has sentenced Maxim Kruglov, deputy chair of Russia's liberal Yabloko party, to seven years in prison on charges of spreading 'fake' information about the Russian military. The prosecution had requested an eight-year sentence.

The criminal case against Kruglov was opened in the fall of 2025, and he had been in custody since October. The charges stemmed from two social media posts: one describing war crimes in Bucha, and another featuring a photograph of the destroyed city of Mariupol and citing UN data on civilian deaths. Kruglov did not plead guilty.

Among the prosecution's witnesses was an employee of the state-run housing maintenance organization Zhilishchnik, who initially introduced himself as a political analyst and a supporter of the Young Guard of United Russia.

In his final statement, Kruglov called the events that prompted his posts 'hell,' stating, 'It's impossible to stay silent, and there needs to be an investigation. What does any of this have to do with spreading false information?'

The hearing was attended by family, friends, and allies, including Grigory Yavlinsky, former chair and founder of Yabloko.

Kruglov, who served as deputy chair of Yabloko and led its faction in the Moscow City Duma from 2019 to 2024, also taught comparative political science at the State Academic University for the Humanities.