A Russian court on Friday sentenced singer Eduard Sharlot, 26, to five and a half years in prison after he publicly protested Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Sharlot was convicted by a court in Samara, a city in the Volga region, on charges of “publicly insulting the religious feelings of believers” and “rehabilitating Naziism,” according to the RIA Novosti state news agency. The charges stemmed from videos he shared online, which included acts of defiance against the Kremlin and its allies.
In a widely circulated video from June 2023, Sharlot burned his Russian passport as a symbolic rejection of the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022. In another video, he nailed a photograph of Patriarch Kirill—the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a vocal supporter of the war—to a crucifix.
Following his protests, Sharlot fled to Armenia but was arrested in November 2023 upon returning to Russia through Saint Petersburg airport.
The Kremlin has cracked down on dissent since the invasion of Ukraine, introducing stringent laws that criminalize criticism of its actions. Dozens of individuals have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for opposing the war, and the country’s opposition landscape has been virtually wiped out, with most prominent critics now in exile, imprisoned, or deceased.
This latest sentencing underscores the growing risks faced by those who publicly challenge Russia’s policies or its powerful institutions, including the Orthodox Church, which has been a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin. Human rights organizations and international observers have condemned the tightening grip on dissent, warning of increasing authoritarianism within Russia.
