Russian Politician Sentenced to 7 Years for Anti-War Social Media Posts
Conviction and Sentencing of Maxim Kruglov
Background of the Case
MOSCOW, June 24 (Reuters) - The deputy leader of Russia's liberal Yabloko party, which opposes the war in Ukraine, was convicted of spreading lies about the Russian army on Wednesday and jailed for seven years just over two months before a parliamentary election.
Details of the Arrest and Charges
Maxim Kruglov, a former lawmaker in Moscow's city legislature, was arrested in October last year and charged over the content of two posts he had made on the Telegram social media network in 2022, the year Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.
Kruglov's Defense and Statements
Kruglov pleaded innocent at his trial and said he believed that the war in Ukraine was a tragedy that must stop as soon as possible.
Content of the Social Media Posts
One of his two posts had referred to U.N. data about the number of people killed in the conflict and another to events in Bucha, a town north of Kyiv, in March 2022. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russian forces of killing civilians in Bucha; Moscow says the killings there were staged to discredit its troops.
Yabloko Party and Political Context
Yabloko, one of Russia's main liberal groups in the early post-Soviet years, now has only a handful of seats in regional parliaments and no seats in the national parliament. But the fact that it still contests elections gives it a platform to voice its anti-war views.
Upcoming Elections
Russia holds elections for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in September.
(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Andrew Osborn/Mark Trevelyan Editing by Andrew Osborn )
