A Russian opposition politician was today sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for criticizing the brutal war in Ukraine.
Ilya Yashin, 39, an ex-boyfriend of Putin’s “goddaughter”, was sentenced to the maximum sentence in Bucha under a new law criminalizing criticism of the war for spreading “false information” about Russia’s horrific war crimes .
Supporters of the Moscow City Council in the courtroom cheered Yashin, who smiled and waved to the family despite being handcuffed as the sentence was read.
Yashin, one of the few Kremlin critics who remained in Russia, addressed them before he was taken away and predicted that Putin would be driven from office long before his release.
Ilya Yashin, 39, a Moscow councilor, was found guilty of spreading “false information” about Russia’s horrific war crimes in Bucha in the most high-profile ruling under a new law criminalizing criticism of the war.
Russian opposition leader, former Moscow MP Ilya Yashin (C), stands in a defendant’s cage before a hearing at the Meshchansky Court in Moscow, Russia, Friday.
“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Yashin told his followers. “If someone believes that Putin will rule for eight years, then he is a very big optimist.”
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Oksana Goryunova said Yashin had committed a crime by “knowingly spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces”.
In April, Yashin described the killing of civilians in Bucha as a “massacre”, referring to a town near the capital Kiev where civilians were found murdered after Russian troops withdrew.
During the hearing in Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court, Yashin argued that his case was fabricated and “had all the hallmarks of illegal political persecution”.
He noted that in the video he quoted Russian official sources along with Ukrainian statements to give his audience an objective perspective.
Putin’s “goddaughter” – TV star and Kremlin critic Ksenia Sobchak – today denounced the “outrageous” prison sentence for her ex-boyfriend Yashin.
Sobchak (41), who opposes Putin, her alleged godfather who was close to her father, said of a Moscow court’s verdict: “Terribly unfair, outrageous. And how noble Ilya is in his steadfastness of principle.”
She added that her ex-boyfriend “showed courage in the face of the abyss” as she urged him to “persevere”.
Putin’s “goddaughter” – TV star and Kremlin critic Ksenia Sobchak – today condemned the “outrageous” prison sentence for her ex-boyfriend Yashin
Yashin remained in Russia even after Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, regularly condemning the offensive to his 1.3 million YouTube subscribers.
He was tried under new laws that came into effect after February to punish what authorities consider damaging or false information about the Russian military.
In his closing remarks at the last hearing this month, the opposition figure called on the Russian leader to “stop this madness immediately”.
“We must recognize that this policy towards Ukraine is wrong, withdraw troops from its territory and move towards a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he said. “I will not reveal the truth, even behind bars.”
“When hostilities began, I did not hesitate for a second,” said Yashin.
“I felt I had to stay in Russia, speak the truth out loud and do whatever was necessary to stop the bloodshed. It is better to spend ten years behind bars and remain an honest man than to be secretly ashamed of the blood your government has shed.”
In a statement after the sentencing, Yashin said: “With this hysterical statement, the authorities want to scare us all, but it actually shows their weakness. Only the weak want to silence everyone and banish all dissent.’
Prosecutors argued that Yashin “caused Russia significant damage” and “increased political tensions” while Russian troops fought in Ukraine.
Yashin, one of the few Kremlin critics who remained in Russia, addressed supporters before his ouster and predicted that Putin would be ousted from office long before his release.
Putin’s mouth curled as he pretended not to know the identity of his political nemesis Yashin.
The Kremlin chief was asked about the matter at a press conference in Bishkek by a journalist from the Russian newspaper Kommersant and immediately replied: “Who is it?”
Reporter Andrey Kolesnikov continued, “He was … found guilty of forgery about the army. Do not think that this is a monstrous sentence for [mere] Words?’
Putin’s mouth twitched again when he pretended he had never interfered in the courts to guide judges on verdicts.
“My upbringing was [as a lawyer] at Leningrad State University,” he said.
“And I want to say… interference in the work of the court is totally unacceptable.”
Human rights groups have alleged that the Kremlin tells judges the rate of politically motivated prosecutions.
Yashin is an ally of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and was close to Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician killed near the Kremlin in 2015.
“Another shameless and lawless verdict by Putin will not silence Ilya and it should not intimidate the honest people of Russia,” Navalny said on Instagram shortly after the verdict.
Navalny, 46, is serving a nine-year sentence on embezzlement charges, widely believed to be politically motivated. His political organizations are banned.
Meanwhile, Yashin’s trial last month ended in a scuffle between court officials and the Moscow councilor’s father when it emerged that guards had told his mother not to speak to her son anymore.
Yashin’s father Valery today praised those who came out to support his son.
“Even strangers came to us and offered messages of support,” he said. “This is very important to us.”
Yashin’s father Valery (pictured) today praised those who came out to support his son
A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on the authorities to release Yashin “immediately and unconditionally”.
“Bulldozing of critical voices continues,” says spokesman Peter Stano, who describes the case as “politically motivated and unacceptable”.
Yashin was arrested in late June while walking through a park in Moscow and accused of spreading “false” information about the Russian military.
Pro-Putin commentators welcomed the ruling, with Sergei “Zergulio” Kolyasniko hailing the “good news” and calling for Yashin to be jailed along with Navalny, his closest ally, so they can “work gloves together”.
Another, Boris Rozhin, said: “The law discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation was written to silence such individuals.
“Strange that some only understood it at the end.”
He said Russia was not sufficiently “totalitarian and tyrannical” and the punishment should have been harsher.
Tens of thousands of Russians – including many independent journalists – fled the country after the conflict broke out and when the Kremlin announced in September that it was recruiting thousands of men for the army.
Another Moscow councilor, Alexei Gorinof, was sentenced to seven years in prison in July for speaking out against the offensive in Ukraine.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
