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Dissident Alexander Skobov. Photo: Mediazona.
St. Petersburg dissident Alexander Skobov has been sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony on charges of “justifying terrorism” and “participation in a terrorist organization,” according to reports by the independent exiled Russian media outlets Mediazona and Bumaga.
The First Western District Military Court in St. Petersburg also imposed a fine of 300,000 rubles (over $3,500) on Skobov and banned him from administering websites for four years. The first three years of his sentence are to be served in a prison facility, with the remainder to be spent in a penal colony. Prosecutors had sought an 18-year sentence for the dissident.
The case against the 67-year-old activist was launched over social media posts concerning the explosion on the Crimean Bridge and his participation in the Free Russia Forum. He was arrested in April 2024.
During his final statement at the trial on Friday, March 21, Skobov delivered an unflinching denunciation of the Putin regime:
“Death to the Russian-fascist invaders! Death to Putin, the new Hitler, a murderer and a scoundrel! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!
I usually end my speeches with these words, but today, I will be asked whether I plead guilty, so let me say this: I am the one delivering the accusation here.
I accuse the stinking, corpse-ridden ruling Putin clique of preparing, unleashing, and waging an aggressive war. Of committing war crimes in Ukraine. Of political terror in Russia. Of morally corrupting my people,” Mediazona quoted Skobov as saying.
During the Soviet era, Skobov published an anti-government journal titled Perspektivy (“Perspectives”). In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was twice subjected to forced psychiatric treatment for “anti-Soviet activity.”
According to the independent outlet Agentstvo, he spent a total of six years in confinement in the Soviet Union — meaning that the sentence handed down by the Russian court today is nearly three times longer than the one he served under the USSR.
The Free Russia Forum, founded by Garry Kasparov and his associate Ivan Tyutrin, is a series of regular conferences held in Vilnius (Lithuania) by opponents of Vladimir Putin. In Russia, the forum has been designated as an “undesirable organization,” and Kasparov, Tyutrin, and several other forum participants have been charged in absentia with creating and taking part in a terrorist organization.
“Slava Ukraini” means “Glory to Ukraine” — a patriotic slogan commonly used as a greeting or rallying cry. The typical response is “Heroiam Slava” (“Glory to the Heroes”).
Russian authorities often view the slogan as a symbol of Ukrainian nationalism and resistance, and its use can be interpreted as support for what the Russian government labels as extremist or anti-state activity.