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Russian opposition leader sentenced to six years in prison

2025-12-25 22:35:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russian opposition leader sentenced to six years in prison

A Russian court on Thursday convicted a pro-war activist and critic of Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison. Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist Party, was arrested last year.

According to the independent Russian news site Mediazona, the charges against him stem from an article Udaltsov posted online in support of another group of Russian activists accused of forming a terrorist organization. The activists were convicted earlier this month and given sentences ranging from 16 to 22 years in prison. Udaltsov has dismissed the charges against him as fabricated. On Thursday, he denounced the verdict as shameful and said he would go on a hunger strike, Mediazona reported.

According to the court's decision, the activist will serve his sentence in a high-security cell.

Udaltsov was a prominent opposition figure during the 2011–12 mass protests in Russia, sparked by reports of widespread rigging of parliamentary elections. In February 2012, he attended a meeting that then-President Dmitry Medvedev held with various opposition figures.

Russian authorities have stepped up their crackdown on dissent and freedom of speech after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, relentlessly targeting human rights groups, independent media, members of civil society organizations, LGBTQ+ activists, and some religious groups. Hundreds have been imprisoned and thousands more have fled the country.

In December 2023, a Moscow court sentenced Udaltsov to 40 hours of forced labor for violating procedures related to organizing a rally after he was stopped in Red Square, where he attempted to unfurl a flag with the image of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, according to Russia's state news agency Tass.

Udaltsov was previously imprisoned in 2014 and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison on charges related to his role in organizing a 2012 anti-Putin demonstration that turned into riots. He was released in 2017./ CNA, translated by The Guardian





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