Russian opposition sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison after criticising Kremlin war in Ukraine

Ilija Yashin was charged with spreading false information about the military. 

The charges were linked to a live broadcast in YouTube and referred to the Ukrainian assassination in Bucha. During his trial, Yashin noted that he had cited official Russian sources as well as Ukrainian statements to give his audience and objective views.

As his verdict was read at the Moscow court, his supporters abroad expressed anger at the decision.

He was one of the few remarkable critics of the Kremlin that had remained in Russia during a crackdown on dissidents.

“With that hysterical sentence, authorities want to intimidate us all, but this effectively shows their weakness,” Yashin said in a statement through his lawyers after the judge handed the sentence. /euronews/