Russia jails Yabloko deputy Lev Shlosberg for 11 years over war criticism
Why it matters: The sentence lands weeks before a parliamentary election after Russia's top court barred Yabloko from the ballot.
Russia sentenced opposition politician Lev Shlosberg, deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in a penal colony after convicting him of discrediting the armed forces and spreading false information about the war in Ukraine. The court in Pskov published the verdict on Monday. In his closing speech last week, Shlosberg called the war a catastrophe for Russia and renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire. The ruling came after Russia's Supreme Court barred Yabloko from next month's parliamentary election and rejected an appeal on Monday, tightening pressure on one of the only registered parties that has openly called for the war to end.