Russian politician and war opponent sentenced to 11 years in penal colony

Lev Shlosberg, a prominent member of Russia's liberal Yabloko party, has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for condemning the war in Ukraine. The court found him guilty of discrediting the Russian armed forces and spreading false information about them.

Shlosberg, who serves as the deputy chairman of Yabloko, has been a vocal critic of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, describing it as a "catastrophe" during the trial. In his closing statement to the court, Shlosberg declared himself a victim of a politically motivated trial and reiterated his calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He spoke of the tragic loss of life, stating, "Sooner or later, the precise and full death toll, with all the names, will be published, and the nation will tremble because of this list of martyrs."

Official death tolls from the conflict are not regularly updated by either Russia or Ukraine. However, Russian media outlets like Mediazona and the BBC's Russian service have compiled lists of at least 239,354 deceased Russian military personnel based on public records. They estimate the actual number of casualties is higher, considering excess mortality rates among Russian men.

This sentencing comes just a week after Russia's Supreme Court excluded the Yabloko party from participating in the upcoming September parliamentary elections. Yabloko was the only officially registered party opposing the war in Ukraine. The exclusion was initiated by the nationalist Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of receiving undeclared support from Western sources for its election campaign.