Opposition Politician Shlosberg Sentenced for Violating ‘Foreign Agent’ Law
A court in Pskov, northwestern Russia, sentenced opposition figure Lev Shlosberg to 420 hours of community service for breaching the country’s “foreign agent” regulations, according to the Yabloko party.
The court concluded that Shlosberg kept five videos on his personal social media account that lacked the mandatory “foreign agent” label. Prosecutors had sought a slightly harsher sentence of 440 hours of community service.
Shlosberg rejected the allegations, and his defense team confirmed plans to appeal the ruling.
“Russia’s first criminal ‘foreign agent’ case was initiated by police rather than a regulatory agency,” Yabloko said.
The legal proceedings included 20 court sessions and nearly 1,400 pages of evidence. A video released by the RusNews Telegram channel showed Shlosberg greeting his lawyers and posing for photos after the verdict.
Shlosberg, a senior member of Yabloko’s Pskov branch, is among the few opposition politicians who have stayed in Russia despite openly criticizing the war in Ukraine. The Justice Ministry classified him as a “foreign agent” in June 2023.
Yabloko remains one of the few officially recognized opposition parties in Russia. The party consistently calls for peace in Ukraine but faces shrinking public presence and government pressure under wartime censorship.
In addition, Shlosberg is currently under house arrest in another case, accused of “discrediting” the Russian army following a public debate appearance.
Author’s Summary
Lev Shlosberg was sentenced in Pskov to community service for violating Russia’s “foreign agent” law, marking a rare police-initiated prosecution of an opposition figure.