[REVISION HISTORY]

Russian legal actions against political opposition

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-18 05:34 UTC → 2026-08-18 18:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Russian authorities have intensified legal actions against opposition figures and members of the liberal Jabloko party. On August 14, prosecutors requested a sentence of 12 years and one month in a penal colony for Lev ~~Slosberg,~~ Shlosberg, the deputy chairman of Jabloko, alleging he discredited the Russian armed forces via a 2022 social media post. By August 17, a court in Pskov sentenced ~~Slosberg~~ Shlosberg to eleven years and one month in a penal colony for the same charge of disparaging the military, a ruling the party intends to appeal. ~~The conviction involved Slosberg’s participation in an online debate calling for a ceasefire and a Telegram post featuring a British tabloid cover that criticized President Vladimir Putin.~~ Shlosberg has denied all charges, characterizing the trial as politically motivated. Jabloko described the verdict as a “collapse of the modern Russian judicial ~~system.”~~ system,” while Amnesty International ~~has since~~ condemned the sentencing as a “blatant reprisal against freedom of expression.” Simultaneously, the Russian Supreme Court upheld a decision to bar the Jabloko party from participating in the upcoming September parliamentary elections, rejecting an appeal that challenged the exclusion based on allegations of irregular foreign funding and copyright infringements. This exclusion followed a legal challenge by the pro-Kremlin Rodina party. During the Supreme Court proceedings in Moscow, police detained dozens of Jabloko ~~supporters.~~ supporters, with some reports indicating at least 35 individuals were arrested during protests outside the courthouse. Jabloko leaders characterized the rulings as a targeted campaign to silence the only officially registered party in Russia that openly opposes the war, describing the situation as a “tragedy of the disintegration of modern Russian justice.” In response to the exclusion, Jabloko released a report alleging that the ruling United Russia party and other pro-Kremlin groups received approximately USD 13.6 million in donations from entities linked to 22 different countries between 2021 and ~~2025. This contrasts~~ 2025, contrasting with the small amount of foreign funding cited by the Supreme Court to disqualify Jabloko.

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