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Russian Court Sentences Putin Critic to Six Years in Prison
Is Udaltsov a dissident railroaded by corrupt authorities, or a repeat offender justly punished for supporting terrorism?
Above: Sergei Udaltsov attends his remand hearing at the Basmanny district court in Moscow on Jan. 12, 2024. Image credit: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Government-critical narrative
Imprisoning Udaltsov for defending Marxists who hadn't even been convicted yet exposes a corrupt system where the FSB and Ministry of Justice can't agree on evidence, yet still railroad dissidents. Four separate examinations produced wildly contradictory results, with Justice Ministry experts finding no terrorism justification whatsoever, but authorities kept shopping for experts until they got the answer they wanted. This absurd prosecution criminalizes basic legal advocacy and turns the presumption of innocence into a punishable offense.
Pro-government narrative
Udaltsov's six-year sentence appropriately punishes a repeat offender who used his platform to justify terrorism by publicly supporting accused terrorists plotting a violent overthrow of the government. This isn't about free speech — it's about a convicted riot organizer with a history of extremism rallying support for dangerous radicals. The court followed proper legal procedures, and Udaltsov's claims of innocence ring hollow given his documented pattern of inciting civil disorder and challenging state authority.
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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0