A court in the northwestern city of Pskov has placed opposition politician Lev Shlosberg under house arrest pending trial on charges of “discrediting” the Russian military, independent media reported Wednesday.
Shlosberg, a senior member of the liberal party Yabloko, was arrested and charged with Russia’s wartime censorship offense on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Pskov City Court ordered Shlosberg to be placed under house arrest until Aug. 8, according to independent outlets RusNews and Sotavision. The hearing was held behind closed doors at the plaintiffs’ request.
Yabloko said party chairman Nikolai Rybakov was present to support Shlosberg.
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.
In January, law enforcement authorities pressed criminal charges against Shlosberg for failing to comply with Russia’s “foreign agent” law. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted of those charges.
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.
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.
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