Russia Files Third Criminal Case Against Yabloko Deputy Leader Lev Shlosberg Over 'False Information' on Military

New Charges Filed Against Opposition Figure

Russian authorities in the northwestern city of Pskov opened a third criminal case against opposition politician Lev Shlosberg on December 5, 2025. The deputy leader of the liberal Yabloko party is accused of 'spreading false information about the Armed Forces,' a charge that carries significant penalties under Russian law. This latest legal action was announced just days before Shlosberg was due to be released from six months of house arrest related to a separate 'discreditation' case.

According to the Yabloko party, the new 'army fakes' case originates from a Telegram post from February 2022. Shlosberg, 62, was formally notified of the charge on Thursday, December 4, 2025, and has denied the accusations.

Pattern of Legal Pressure

This is not the first time Shlosberg has faced legal scrutiny. He is currently on trial for 'discrediting' the Russian military, an offense that can lead to a maximum of five years in prison. Last month, in November 2025, he was sentenced to 420 hours of community service for violating Russia's 'foreign agent' law, specifically for failing to include a required disclaimer on five social media videos. Shlosberg was designated a 'foreign agent' by Russia's Justice Ministry in June 2023. He had also previously received two administrative fines for 'discrediting' the military.

Crackdown on Yabloko and Anti-War Dissent

The criminal case against Shlosberg is part of a broader governmental crackdown on the Yabloko party, one of the few remaining legal opposition parties in Russia. Yabloko has consistently voiced its opposition to the conflict in Ukraine and advocated for a ceasefire. This pressure extends to other prominent members of the party:

• Party Chair Nikolai Rybakov was fined for 'sharing extremist symbols'.
• Senior politician Boris Vishnevsky also received a fine.
• Deputy Chair Maksim Kruglov was arrested in October 2025 and placed in pre-trial detention over Telegram posts from 2022 referencing UN estimates of civilian casualties and events in Bucha.

Amnesty International has described these reprisals as a 'deliberate effort to silence the last organized political force in Russia that consistently calls for peace and speaks out against human rights violations.'

Legal Framework for 'False Information' and 'Discreditation'

The charges against Shlosberg fall under stringent laws enacted shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The law against 'spreading false information about the Armed Forces' (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years. The 'discrediting' law (Article 280.3) carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. These laws have been widely criticized by human rights organizations as tools to suppress dissent and independent reporting on the conflict.