Russian Opposition Politician Sentenced To Seven Years In Jail For Anti-War Social Media Posts

The deputy leader of Russia’s Yabloko party, known for its opposition to the war in Ukraine, was sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in prison for spreading false information about the Russian military. “This ruling is an example of the criminalization of public dissent.

Maxim Kruglov, a former member of Moscow’s city legislature, was taken into custody in October, and faced charges for two posts he made in 2022 on Telegram on the eve of Russia sending tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine.

The Kremlin maintains that strict censorship laws are essential for maintaining national unity as it has waged an existential struggle against the West.

A Prohibition on Dissent

Kruglov pleaded not guilty and said to the court— just over two months before a parliamentary election his party wants to participate in— that the case illustrates the authorities’ intolerance for dissenting viewpoints.

This is essentially a prohibition on dissent, he said.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and with closely cropped hair, Kruglov dismissed prosecutors’ claims that his posts were motivated by political animosity, saying that his career has been about improving life in Russia.

It seems that political disagreement equates to hatred,” he said in the speech.

Now with elections for the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, due in September and the war going into its fifth year and the increase in Ukrainian drone attacks affecting life in Russia, Yabloko is losing ground. Once a leading liberal figure after the Soviet era, it now has only a few seats in regional legislatures and none at the national level. Given the tightly controlled political landscape in Russia it seems unlikely Yabloko will receive any national representation in this year but it gives an opportunity to anti-war ideas that authorities are trying to suppress.

Kruglov’s disputed posts cited UN statistics concerning casualties from the conflict as well as events in Bucha near Kyiv in March 2022. Ukrainian officials and their allies say Russians murdered civilians there and Moscow says the events there are exaggerated.

The leader of Yabloko, Nikolai Rybakov, denounced the ruling as unfair.

If people believe such sentences are acceptable or normal, they may as well refrain from voting or supporting any parties other than Yabloko, he said outside the courthouse.

There is now a choice: vote for Yabloko and oppose what is happening today or support any other party and endorse it.

A recent survey conducted by state pollster Vtsiom showed that support for parties outside parliament— including Yabloko— was 6.3% while more than two-thirds favor pro-Kremlin parties like United Russia.

Kruglov maintained his opposition to the war as well as to a future where Russia could exist peacefully.

A country respected by its neighbors instead of feared— a nation where differing opinions can be expressed, he concluded.\

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