A court in Russia’s Pskov region sentenced opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and 1 month in prison on charges of spreading “fake news” about the Russian army and discrediting the armed forces.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 12 years and 1 month for Shlosberg, a senior member of the liberal Yabloko party.
Earlier community service sentence partially combined
The court partially combined the new prison sentence with the 420 hours of community service that Shlosberg received in November 2025 for violating the foreign agent law.
Shlosberg denied the charges against him. In his final statement to the court, he argued that the charges had been brought unlawfully and said he was innocent.
Posts cited in the case and the public hearing
The “fake news” charge was based on Shlosberg’s reposting on Telegram on February 25, 2022, of content from the Ekho Moskvy radio station, which later ceased operations. The content shared the cover of an English tabloid featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin and a bloodied woman.
Shlosberg said he made the post before Russia enacted its wartime censorship laws.
The discrediting charge was linked to a public hearing held in January 2025. Shlosberg denied publishing on social media a video of the discussion, which allegedly included a call for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He said the statements cited by the prosecution belonged to the other side in the discussion.
Procedural objections in court
The defense also raised objections throughout the case concerning the proceedings and the trial procedure. Instead of questioning Shlosberg directly, the judge read the transcripts of previous hearings.
After three defense lawyers were unable to attend the hearings because of illness and scheduling conflicts, the court appointed a state-provided lawyer. The court also rejected Shlosberg’s applications opposing the lawyers’ representation of him.
On the day Shlosberg’s prison sentence was announced, Russia’s Supreme Court considered Yabloko’s appeal against the cancellation of the registration of its federal candidate list for next month’s State Duma elections.
