Moscow Court Sentences Yabloko Deputy Chairman to 7 Years for Posts About War

The Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow on Friday sentenced Maxim Kruglov, deputy chairman of the Russian political party Yabloko, to seven years in a general-regime penal colony on charges of spreading 'fakes' about the Russian military.

Prosecutors had requested an eight-year sentence. The criminal case against Kruglov was opened in autumn 2025, and he has been in custody since October. The charges stemmed from two social media posts: one in which he wrote about war crimes in Bucha, and another that featured a photo of destroyed Mariupol and mentioned civilian casualties, citing UN data. Kruglov pleaded not guilty.

Prosecution witnesses included an employee of the state institution 'Zhilischnik' who initially presented himself as a political scientist, and a supporter of the 'Young Guard of United Russia.' In his final statement, Kruglov described the events that prompted his posts as 'hell,' saying, 'It's impossible not to talk about it; an investigation is needed. Where is the dissemination of knowingly false information here?'

Relatives, friends, and colleagues attended the trial, including former Yabloko chairman and founder Grigory Yavlinsky. The party's press service said the verdict has not yet entered into force and will be appealed. Kruglov served as deputy chairman of Yabloko, led the party's faction in the Moscow City Duma from 2019 to 2024, and taught comparative political science at the State Academic University for the Humanities.