Law enforcement authorities on Tuesday arrested and pressed criminal charges against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the opposition party Yabloko, for allegedly “discrediting” Russia’s armed forces.
Police carried out searches and seized personal electronic devices from the homes of Shlosberg and his wife, his 96-year-old father and the local Yabloko office in the northwestern city of Pskov, according to the party.
Authorities accuse Shlosberg, who has remained in Russia despite his opposition to the war, of calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine during a debate with historian Yury Pivovarov in January. A video of that debate was published on the Russian social media website Odnoklassniki.
Yabloko’s Pskov region branch said Shlosberg was sent to a temporary detention center following his arrest. A court is expected to rule on whether to extend his detention on Wednesday.
Shlosberg, 61, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian military. He was already fined twice on administrative charges for the same offense.
In January, law enforcement authorities pressed criminal charges against Shlosberg for failing to comply with Russia’s “foreign agent” law. He faces up to two years in prison if convicted of those charges.
Russia’s Justice Ministry labeled the opposition politician a “foreign agent” in June 2023. Under the “foreign agent” law, individuals must include a lengthy disclaimer on all of their public statements, including social media posts.
Shlosberg, who used to head Yabloko’s Pskov region branch, regularly condemns Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, having called it a “tragedy” on social media. Some exiled opposition figures have criticized Shlosberg for not taking a harder line against the war.
Shlosberg served as a lawmaker in the Peskov region legislative assembly between 2011 and 2021.
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