PSKOV — A Russian court in Pskov convicted Lev Shlosberg on Monday and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison. The deputy chairman of the Yabloko party was found guilty on charges of discrediting the military and spreading false information about the war in Ukraine.

The public prosecutor's office had sought a sentence of twelve years and one month in a penal colony for Shlosberg. The 63-year-old politician and journalist also faced a conviction for violating foreign agent regulations, having been designated a foreign agent by Russian authorities.

The charges stemmed from a debate in which Shlosberg called for ending the war and from his posting of a British tabloid front page on his Telegram channel. The posted image featured a bloodied woman next to Russian President Vladimir Putin with the headline: "Her blood.. his hands." Shlosberg rejected the charges as unfounded during the proceedings.

This marked Shlosberg's second trial in the last two years. He served in the regional legislature of Pskov from 2016 to 2021 before his current legal troubles. Shlosberg was placed in pretrial detention in December 2025 and has remained in custody since.

On the same day as the sentencing, Russia’s Supreme Court upheld its earlier decision to bar the Yabloko party from the ballot in the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary vote. The high court denied an appeal by the party regarding its removal from the ballot. The Central Election Commission had previously allowed Yabloko on the ballot in July along with 10 other parties.

The Motherland Party, also known as Rodina and described as ultra-nationalist and loyal to the Kremlin, filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court demanding Yabloko's removal. The party accused Yabloko of copyright infringement and exceeding campaign spending limits. It viewed Yabloko’s stance on Ukraine as unlawful and tantamount to calling for the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity. Yabloko rejected the accusations made by the Motherland Party.

Several dozen people were detained outside the courthouse as supporters gathered during the Supreme Court hearing. Amnesty International denounced the verdict against Shlosberg following the ruling. Marie Struthers, the group's Eastern Europe and Central Asia director, issued a statement condemning the outcome.

"His arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace," Struthers said. She added that the Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Shlosberg and quash his conviction. Struthers stated they must repeal legislation criminalizing peaceful anti-war expression, end the persecution of Yabloko members and supporters, and respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and political participation for all Russians.

Grigory Yavlinsky, co-founder and political committee chair of the Yabloko party, responded to the ruling. He said the court's ruling marked "a serious, deepening crisis in the Russian political system and a lack of understanding of a desired future." Yavlinsky noted that people begin to feel this more acutely, regardless of their political views and positions.

Nikolai Rybakov, chairman of the Yabloko party, outlined the next steps for the organization. He said the party will continue its fight by lodging a complaint to the Presidium of the Supreme Court and possibly going to the Constitutional Court. Rybakov said the goal is "so that the citizens of our country have a peaceful, lawful and safe way of voting for peace, freedom and life without fear in Russia." Regarding the prison term, he said, "our feelings are with Lev and other political prisoners who have fought and are fighting for peace, for people to not die." Yabloko stated that Shlosberg will appeal the verdict.

Why It Matters

The conviction of a senior opposition figure and the simultaneous barring of his party from upcoming elections represent a contraction of political space in Russia. Yabloko is a Russian political party that advocates a ceasefire in the Russian war of aggression that has been ongoing for four and a half years. The dual legal actions against Shlosberg personally and his party institutionally indicate a coordinated effort to suppress dissent related to the conflict in Ukraine.

The case shows the use of foreign agent laws and disinformation statutes to target critics of the government's military policy. With Shlosberg remaining in custody since December 2025 and facing an 11-year sentence, the party faces the loss of a key leader while being excluded from the parliamentary vote. The response from international organizations and party leaders reflects the tension between state security narratives and civil liberties.

Timeline

Lev Shlosberg was placed in pretrial detention in December 2025 and has remained in custody since. The Central Election Commission had allowed Yabloko on the ballot in July along with 10 other parties. On August 14, 2026, Lev Shlosberg said the war in Ukraine has "changed the lives of every Russian citizen without exception," and predicted that once its true death toll becomes known, "the entire country will shudder." Also on August 14, 2026, in his final statement to the court, Shlosberg said that for 30 years, Russia has traveled "a path from hopes for freedom to the almost complete destruction of human and civil rights and freedoms." A Russian court convicted Lev Shlosberg on Monday and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison on August 17, 2026.

What's New

Additional reporting confirms that Yabloko is a Russian political party. The organization advocates a ceasefire in the Russian war of aggression that has been ongoing for four and a half years.