Yabloko ban upheld, Lev Schlossberg jailed for 11 years
Russia's Supreme Court upheld the ban on anti-war party Yabloko and sentenced its deputy chairman Lev Schlossberg to 11 years in prison.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the country's only anti-war party, Yabloko, disqualifying it from September's parliamentary elections. The decision came as a separate court sentenced Yabloko's deputy chairman, Lev Schlossberg, to 11 years and one month in prison for sharing a Daily Mirror front page that opposed the invasion of Ukraine.
Supporters of the party gathered outside the court in Moscow, where dozens were detained by police. Many were young people who had come to show support for a party that has publicly called for an end to the war. The party had initially been registered to run, but was struck off the ballot a week ago for alleged copyright violations. The appeal against that decision was rejected.
Yabloko's leader, Nikolai Rybakov, said the party was barred because it stood for peace and freedom, while those removing it stood for the opposite. The reversal of the registration decision came after recent polls suggested that around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks on Ukraine rather than a continuation of the war, with the figure higher among young people.
Schlossberg's sentence was handed down in a separate case. He was accused of discrediting and spreading fake news about the Russian army after calling the war a tragedy. His supporters described the punishment as absurd, noting that it was harsher than sentences for murder or animal cruelty.
The crackdown extends beyond Yabloko. A leading banker who predicted that Russia was heading for social and economic crisis was summarily dismissed. And Boris Nadezhdin, a former presidential candidate who opposed the war, fled to Paris earlier this month, saying his lawyers warned he had only one or two days to leave the country. In an interview, Nadezhdin said he was alive and free, but acknowledged the difficulty of life in exile, with no home or money. He said he had never criticised President Putin personally, which he believed had kept him safe, but that the situation for anyone against the war had changed dramatically.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | Channel 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Lev Schlossberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison for sharing a Daily Mirror front page opposing the invasion of Ukraine. | ||
| Russia's Supreme Court upheld a ban on the Yabloko party, disqualifying it from September's parliamentary elections. | ||
| A leading banker who predicted social and economic crisis was dismissed. | · | |
| Recent polls show that around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks on Ukraine. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 focused on the broader crackdown on dissent, linking the Yabloko ban and Schlossberg's sentence to the fate of other opposition figures like Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov. It included an interview with exiled opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, giving a personal perspective on the dangers of speaking out. The tone was critical of the Russian regime, highlighting the absurdity and severity of the punishments.
- “Words cannot convey how terrifying this is. You get a lighter sentence for murder. For animal cruelty, there is no punishment at all.”
- “It's absolutely crazy. Because 11 years of prison, because Lev said some words, he just said some words against the war.”
- “I have decided to exile from Russia because it was a question of my freedom, a question of my security.”
BBC ONE West focused on the public reaction and the apparent reversal of Yabloko's registration, suggesting the authorities may have underestimated anti-war sentiment. It highlighted the arrests of young supporters and cited polls showing most Russians want peace talks. The tone was analytical, questioning why the decision was reversed and what it reveals about public opinion.
- “It had been the only anti-war party allowed to run. But was struck off the ballot a week ago for alleged copyright violations.”
- “Recent polls show that around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks on Ukraine not a continuation of the war”
- “These kids are going to grow and become opposition leaders”
Broadcast Timeline
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