Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of Russia’s liberal opposition party Yabloko, was convicted on Monday by a court in Pskov on charges of discrediting the Russian armed forces and spreading false information about the military. He was sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony, according to court statements.
Shlosberg, a longtime opposition politician, has described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a catastrophe for the country. In a closing statement delivered before the verdict, he insisted the proceedings were politically motivated. “A single person is imprisoned, yet fear seeps into the hearts of millions,” he said, according to a transcript.
The charges stem from a video debate last year in which Shlosberg referred to the war as a “bloody game of chess.” A second charge of disseminating false information was added after he reposted the clip on Telegram.
The case comes as the Kremlin intensifies efforts to suppress public opposition to the conflict, which is officially called a “special military operation.” In June, Yabloko’s deputy leader, Maxim Kruglov, was sentenced to seven years in prison on similar charges. On Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court upheld a ban on Yabloko from participating in upcoming parliamentary elections, making it the only registered party to openly call for an end to the invasion.
Russian authorities have not published casualty figures for the war. Independent outlets, including BBC Russian Service and Mediazona, have counted more than 239,000 named fallen soldiers through public records, with excess-mortality estimates exceeding 350,000. In his remarks, Shlosberg warned that the full death toll would eventually be revealed and would make the entire nation “shudder.”
Legislation enacted after the invasion that began on February 24, 2022, criminalizes discrediting the military or deliberately spreading false information, carrying lengthy prison sentences. Critics say these laws have effectively silenced open dissent, leaving public criticism of the war almost nonexistent inside Russia.