Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin remains defiant despite losing his appeal against an 8-1/2 years prison sentence on a charge of spreading false information about the army
Found guilty of spreading false information about armyMOSCOW, April 19 - Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin on Wednesday predicted he would one day help build a "new and free Russia" after losing his appeal against an eight-and-a-half year prison sentence on a charge of spreading false information about the army.
Moscow introduced sweeping censorship laws shortly after sending its armed forces into Ukraine in February last year, which have since been used to silence dissenting voices. Russian pro-government politicians cast the conflict in Ukraine as an existential struggle with the West, and have portrayed people like Yashin who question Moscow's actions as pro-Western subversives who deserve prison.
"Both the prosecutor and the trial judge ... said it was necessary not only to remove me from the Chamber of Lawyers but also to consider opening a criminal case," he told the U.S. broadcaster Voice of America in an interview posted on YouTube.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kremlin: Putin visits troops in Russian-occupied Kherson, Luhansk regionsThe Russian government has released a video of President Vladimir Putin visiting with military officials in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of Kherson and Luhansk.
Read more »
Putin visits Russian troops in occupied UkraineThe Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited headquarters of the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. A video released by the Kremlin early Tuesday showed Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Kherson region. It showed Putin receiving reports from the top military brass. He then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard in the Luhansk region to hear reports about the situation there. Russia took the Kherson and Luhansk regions into its fold along with Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia in September in a move that was rejected by most of the world as illegal annexation. It was Putin's second trip to the areas that Russia occupied in Ukraine in as many months.
Read more »
Putin Visits Headquarters of Russian Troops Fighting in UkraineThe Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited headquarters of the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
Read more »
Putin rallies his troops with 2nd Ukraine visit in 2 monthsRussian President Vladimir Putin visited the headquarters of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine early Tuesday, his second trip to the Russian-held territories there since March.
Read more »
US citizens and Russian nationals accused of interfering with elections and being 'illegal agents'A federal grand jury has accused four citizens of the United States and three Russian intelligence officers of working for the Russian government and Russian Federal Security Service to interfere in U.S. elections, sow discord, and spread pro-Russian propaganda.
Read more »