A Russian court has sentenced Eduard Sharlot, a 26-year-old singer, to five and a half years in prison for actions deemed as protesting Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.
The court in Samara, a city along the Volga River, found Sharlot guilty of “publicly insulting” religious believers and “rehabilitating Naziism,” according to state news agency RIA Novosti. The charges were tied to videos he posted online.In one video, Sharlot burned his Russian passport in June 2023 to denounce Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Another video showed him nailing a photograph of Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church—an institution that has staunchly supported the offensive—to a crucifix.
Sharlot fled Russia for Armenia after the conflict began but was arrested upon his return at Saint Petersburg airport in November 2023.
The sentencing highlights Moscow’s intensified crackdown on dissent since the military campaign against Ukraine began in February 2022. Dozens of individuals have been handed lengthy prison sentences for publicly opposing the war.Russia has tightened laws on domestic dissent, with critics of the Ukraine offensive frequently targeted. The country’s political landscape has seen nearly all Kremlin opponents either exiled, imprisoned, or silenced.
