Russian sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for criticizing Ukrainian action

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MOSCOW (AP) A prominent Russian opposition figure was sentenced Friday to 8½ years in prison after being found guilty of charges stemming from his criticism of Kremlins action in Ukraine.

The sentence against Ilya Yashin, one of the few Kremlin critics to remain in Russia, offered the latest indication of an increased crackdown on dissent by Russian authorities.

With this hysterical sentencing, the authorities want to scare us all, but it actually shows their weakness, Yashin said in a statement through his lawyers after the judge handed down the sentence. Only the weak want to shut everyone’s mouths and eradicate all dissent.

Yashin was charged with spreading false information about the military, a new offense added to the country’s criminal law after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine.

The charges against him related to a YouTube live video in which he spoke about Ukrainians being killed in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. He dismisses the charges as politically motivated.

During the trial in Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court, Yashin argued that his case was fabricated and bore all the marks of illegal political persecution. He noted that in the video he quoted official Russian sources as well as Ukrainian statements to give his audience an objective view.

In his final remarks on Monday, he said he considered it his duty to tell the truth. I will not give up the truth behind bars, he said.

When the hostilities started, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” Yashin said. “I felt I had to stay in Russia, speak the truth loud and clear and try to do everything I could to end to bloodshed. It is better to sit behind bars for a decade and remain an honest person than to silently feel shame for the blood shed by your government.

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