Russian court upholds Yabloko ban, jails opposition leader Schlossberg
Russia's Supreme Court upheld the ban on the anti-war Yabloko party, while its deputy chairman Lev Schlossberg was sentenced to 11 years for criticising the war.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the Yabloko party, the only anti-war party allowed to contest elections, meaning it will not run in September's parliamentary elections. The decision came as police detained dozens of supporters outside the court. In a separate case, Yabloko's deputy chairman Lev Schlossberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison for sharing a Daily Mirror front page opposing the invasion of Ukraine.
The court rejected Yabloko's appeal against its removal from the ballot, which had been based on alleged copyright violations. Party leader Nikolai Rybakov said the real reason was that the party stood for peace and freedom. The arrests and sentencing are part of a wider crackdown on dissent. A leading banker who predicted social and economic crisis was also dismissed.
Boris Nadezhdin, a former presidential candidate who fled to Paris, told Channel 4 that he had been warned by lawyers he had one or two days to leave. He said he was not a personal enemy of the system but an uncomfortable politician. He expressed fear for his safety but said he had never criticised Putin personally.
The crackdown comes as polls suggest many Russians want an end to the war. BBC reporting cited polls showing around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks. The authorities appear to be tightening control as the war continues.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lev Schlossberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month in prison for sharing a Daily Mirror front page opposing the invasion of Ukraine. | · | ||
| Russia's Supreme Court upheld a ban on the Yabloko party, disqualifying it from September's parliamentary elections. | · | ||
| A leading banker who predicted social and economic crisis was dismissed. | · | · | |
| Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup. | · | · | |
| Recent polls show that around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks on Ukraine. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel did not report on the Russian opposition story; its broadcast covered other international news, including Brazil's election and a hurricane in Hawaii.
Channel 4 focused on the broader crackdown on dissent, including the jailing of Lev Schlossberg, the dismissal of a banker, and an interview with exiled opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin. It highlighted the absurdity of the sentence and the personal risks faced by critics of the Kremlin.
- “Words cannot convey how terrifying this is. You get a lighter sentence for murder.”
- “It's absolutely crazy. Because 11 years of prison, because Lev said some words, he just said some words against the war.”
- “I have decided to exile from Russia because it was a question of my freedom, a question of my security.”
BBC ONE West emphasised the arrests of Yabloko supporters, the rejection of the party's appeal, and the wider context of anti-war sentiment in Russia, citing polls showing most Russians want peace talks. It also reported Schlossberg's sentence as part of the crackdown.
- “Yabloko was barred because we stand for peace and freedom”
- “Recent polls show that around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks on Ukraine not a continuation of the war”
- “There's no sign. It's about to end”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.