A court in Pskov, northwestern Russia, has sentenced anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison on charges of discrediting the Russian armed forces. The verdict was delivered on Monday.
Shlosberg was found guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation." The prosecution had sought a sentence of 12 years and one month. The charges stemmed from comments Shlosberg made on social media. In his closing statement, Shlosberg denied the accusations, calling the trial a sham designed to achieve an "obviously illegal goal," according to a transcript published by Novaya Gazeta. He reiterated his calls for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and for political dialogue.
The politician's party, Yabloko, was recently removed from election ballots due to accusations of supporting the "international LGBT movement," which Russia's Supreme Court has classified as extremist. A lawsuit filed by the pro-Kremlin Rodina party also accused Yabloko of copyright infringement, allegations the party denies.
All other parties participating in the upcoming September 18-20 election reportedly support the war in Ukraine. Recent polling data from Russia's state-owned pollster VCIOM indicated that the ruling United Russia party's approval rating had fallen to 32.1%, its lowest point since May. However, the Kremlin is widely believed to possess the means to influence election outcomes, while independent election watchdogs have had their monitoring capabilities significantly reduced.