A Moscow court sentences Sergei Udaltsov to six years in a penal colony for “justifying terrorism” amid a wider crackdown on dissent.
MOSCOW: A Russian court has sentenced far-left activist Sergei Udaltsov to six years in a maximum-security penal colony.
The Moscow court found him guilty of “justifying terrorism” on Thursday, according to local media reports.
Udaltsov, 48, has been in pre-trial detention since January 2024 and announced he would appeal the verdict and go on a hunger strike.
The prosecution had sought a seven-year prison sentence, while his defence team argued for acquittal.
The exact accusations in his case are classified, but Udaltsov said he was accused of voicing online support for Marxist activists charged with terrorism in Ufa.
He was a prominent opposition leader during mass protests against Vladimir Putin’s re-election in 2012.
Udaltsov was previously jailed in 2014 for organising “mass riots” and served three years in prison.
Despite his opposition to Putin, he has expressed public support for Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine from a patriotic stance.
An ardent admirer of Joseph Stalin, Udaltsov has called for the reinstatement of the Soviet Union.
Russia has intensified its crackdown on opposition and free speech since launching its Ukraine offensive in 2022.
