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A Moscow court sentenced on Monday Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison over his criticism of the war in Ukraine — the harshest prison term delivered yet to a government opponent since the Kremlin launched its invasion in February 2022.
With the ruling, the judges awarded prosecutors the full 25-year prison term they had requested. Kara-Murza pleaded not guilty to the charges.
„For a person who has not committed any crimes, acquittal would be the only fair verdict,“ Kara-Murza said at the closing session of his trial on Monday. „But I do not ask this court for anything. I know the verdict. I knew it a year ago when I saw people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car in the rearview mirror. Such is the price for speaking up in Russia today.“
Kara-Murza, 41, was among a small group of high-profile opposition figures who remained in Russia, determined to be a voice for those against the war. Most are now in prison, facing lengthy sentences.
Kara-Murza was initially detained in April last year on charges of spreading „false information“ about the Russian army.
