Russian opponent sentenced to 8 years in prison for denouncing the war in Ukraine

Dec 9 (Reuters) – Russian opponent Ilya Yashin was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on Friday for spreading “false information” about Russian military actions in Ukraine.

Ilia Yashin, 39, commented in a video posted on YouTube last April on the testimonies of Western journalists on Russian war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Boutcha, near Kyiv, and questioned the explanations provided by the Kremlin according to which the evidence had been “fabricated” to serve as a provocation against Russia.

This questioning of the official version falls under the scope of a law passed shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, to silence any dispute. This law punishes the dissemination of “false information” against the army with a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Reacting to his condemnation, Ilia Iachine called on the Russians not to let themselves be muzzled.

“With this hysterical verdict, the authorities want to intimidate us but in reality it shows their weakness,” the opponent wrote on Telegram. “Strong leaders are calm and confident. Only the weak try to silence everyone and crush any form of dissent.”

“We spoke the truth about war crimes and called for an end to the bloodshed,” he continued. “Today, I can only repeat what I said the day of my arrest: I am not afraid, and you must not be afraid. Change is near.”

Asked about Ilya Yashin’s conviction during a press conference in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said it was unacceptable to question a court decision.

The imprisoned opponent Alexei Navalny for his part praised the courage of his friend, a veteran like him of the demonstrations against Vladimir Putin in 2011-2012. “Russia will be free and so will you,” he wrote on the Twitter account run by his team in exile.

Ilia Iachine’s lawyers said they were appealing the verdict, greeted with the cry of “Freedom for political prisoners” by his supporters gathered in court. (Written by Mark Trevelyan and Jake Cordell, French version Tangi Salaün, editing by Blandine Hénault)