Press Release, 5.12.2025

Photo: Lev Shlosberg / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

A new criminal case has been opened against Yabloko Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg – under Article 207.3 Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (so-called “fakes about the army”) over a repost of a publication on a Telegram channel made in February 2022. The case emerged on 3 December and today, 5 December, Pskov City Court held a closed hearing to consider an application by the investigator of the Russian Interior Ministry Directorate for Pskov Region for a preventive measure to be imposed on Shlosberg. Following a seven-hour hearing, the court ruled to remand him in custody until 2 February.

8 December marks the expiry of the maximum term of house arrest – six months, permitted under the case concerning “discrediting the army”. Extension of this term is not provided for by law. On 3 December, the investigator of the Russian Interior Ministry Directorate for Pskov Oblast opened a criminal case concerning “fakes about the army”, and on 4 December brought charges against Lev Shlosberg.

The court hearing on the preventive measure lasted almost seven hours. During this time, Shlosberg spoke (he pleads not guilty), as did his lawyer Vladimir Danilov and representatives of the investigation. After a further hour and a half adjournment, the judge announced the decision – Lev Shlosberg will remain in a remand prison until 2 February.

What is happening represents an attempt to maintain Lev Shlosberg’s isolation through the creation of new charges at the moment when the existing restrictions on his freedom should have been lifted, Yabloko Сhairman Nikolai Rybakov emphasises:

“We are convinced that the persecution of Lev Shlosberg is connected exclusively with his many years of public and political activity, his consistent defence of citizens’ rights and the principles of the rule of law. The actions with which he is charged cannot constitute grounds for depriving a person of their liberty.

We express our absolute support for Lev Shlosberg and demand fair and impartial consideration of his case by the judicial authorities.

The Yabloko Party continues to uphold the necessity of observing the Constitution, the supremacy of law, and the inadmissibility of using criminal prosecution for political purposes.”

In addition to the new criminal case concerning “fakes about the army” and the case concerning “discreditation”, there is a third case – concerning “missing ‘foreign agent’ labels” – for which Lev Shlosberg is currently appealing the court’s sentence. On 5 November, a judge of Magistrates’ Court No. 38 sentenced the politician to 420 hours of compulsory labour for retaining five other people’s video recordings on his personal VKontakte page without “foreign agent” labelling. In the appeal against the sentence lodged with Pskov City Court, Shlosberg and his defence cite 99 violations committed by the court of first instance.

It should be noted that other Yabloko members are also being prosecuted under the article on “fakes about the army”. Thus, on 25 November, Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky Court extended the detention of Yabloko Deputy Chairman Maxim Kruglov. He has been deprived of his liberty since 1 October. The defence regularly points out to the court that the investigation not only lacks a single argument in favour of detention, but has no grounds whatsoever for prosecuting the politician.

Furthermore, Mikhail Afanasyev, journalist for the online publication Novy Fokus, Yabloko member and two-time recipient of the Andrei Sakharov Prize “For Journalism as an Act of Conscience”, is serving a prison sentence (five years and six months) under the same article “on fakes”.