Russian opposition leader sentenced to six years in prison | Russia

A Russian court on Thursday found a pro-war activist and critic of Vladimir Putin guilty of legitimizing terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement, which opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist party, was arrested last year.

According to Russian independent news site Mediazona, the charges against him stem from an article Udaltsov published online in support of another group of Russian activists accused of establishing a terrorist organization. These activists were convicted earlier this month and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 16 to 22 years.

Udaltsov denied the accusations against him as fabricated. On Thursday, he condemned the decision as “shameful” and said he would go on hunger strike, Mediazona reported.

According to the court decision, the activist will serve his sentence in a maximum security penal colony.

Udaltsov was a leading opposition figure in Russia during mass protests in 2011-2012 triggered by reports of widespread fraud in parliamentary elections. In February 2012, he attended the meeting held by then-President Dmitry Medvedev with various opposition figures.

Russian authorities have stepped up their crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression after the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine and brutally targeted rights groups, independent media, members of non-governmental organizations, LGBTQ+ activists and some religious groups. Hundreds of people were imprisoned and thousands fled the country.

In December 2023, a Moscow court sentenced Udaltsov to 40 hours of forced labor for violating procedures for organizing a rally after he was detained in Red Square while trying 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 for his role in organizing what turned into a tumultuous demonstration against Putin in 2012. He was released in 2017.