Russian anti-war politician jailed for seven years over social media posts
Kruglov was convicted over two 2022 Telegram posts, including one on Bucha, as Yabloko said the ruling shows dissent is being punished.
- On Wednesday, Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky Court sentenced Maxim Kruglov, the 39-year-old deputy leader of Russia's Yabloko party, to seven years in prison for social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine.
- Authorities arrested Kruglov last October, convicting him of spreading "false information" about the Russian army via two Telegram posts made in 2022 that denounced the war's civilian toll and events in Bucha.
- Rejecting the charges, Kruglov told the court, "In essence, this is a ban on dissent." His prosecution reflects a broader Kremlin crackdown on anti-war speech since 2022, reminiscent of Soviet-era restrictions.
- Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov condemned the verdict as unjust. Outside the court, Kruglov told reporters, "Now, there is a choice: to vote for Yabloko and say no to what is happening today."
- With national parliamentary elections due in September, a survey this month by state pollster Vtsiom put support for Yabloko at 6.3%. The party faces continuous restrictions and is unlikely to win national seats this year.
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The Billings Gazette
St Louis Post-DispatchCritic of Ukraine war gets seven years in jail
MOSCOW — The deputy leader of Russia's Yabloko party, which opposes the war in Ukraine, was convicted Wednesday of spreading lies about the Russian army and jailed for seven years, in a verdict he said showed public dissent is illegal.
Yabloko Deputy Leader Jailed 7 Years for ‘War Fakes’
A judge in Moscow sentenced the deputy leader of the liberal Yabloko party to seven years in prison on Wednesday after finding him guilty of spreading "false" information about the Russian military.
Russia is taking massive action against critics. Before the Duma election in September, another politician from the opposition party Jabloko, Maxim Kruglow, must be imprisoned for a long time – because of posts on Ukrainian victims.
Maxim Kruglow is accused of alleged untruths about Russia's army. A few months before the Duma elections, the judiciary seems to act more strongly against critics.
It is day 1582 of the war in Ukraine. Follow the recent developments here in this live blog.
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