Russia's prominent anti-war politician jailed for 11 years

Russia's prominent anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for "discrediting" the country's armed forces and "spreading false information" about them.

Shlosberg, 63, condemned the verdict by a court in the city of Pskov, saying its only task was to "punish a person for his political, public and civil position".

His liberal political party Yabloko, which he is deputy head of, said it would appeal.

The ruling came just minutes before Russia's Supreme Court rejected Yabloko's appeal against a ban on it taking part in September's parliamentary elections.

Yabloko was the only registered party to oppose Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022.

Since the start of the invasion, any remaining opposition in Russia to President Vladimir Putin - who has been in power for nearly 27 years - has been crushed.

Public shows of dissent have been suppressed by wartime censorship laws and can trigger hefty fines or long prison sentences.

The court in Pskov, north-western Russia, delivered its verdict on Monday.