Russian politician sentenced to over 8 years for criticism of war in Ukraine
PBS NewsHourJUL 2022
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
Putin has imposed Stalin-like restrictions on speech concerning the Russian military and the invasion of Ukraine. A growing body of evidence shows that Yashin's comments were by no means misinformation — Putin merely wishes to intimidate the people into silence. However, with the reality of Russia's barbaric actions in Ukraine commonly known, truth of Putin's crimes will not sit quietly behind bars.
Pro-Russia narrative
Yashin's false statements are reflective of the Western hatred for Russian institutions. Moscow's military are fighting valiantly to defend marginalized populations within the Russian federation, and Yashin's fabrications undermined their operations. Despite this, he was still treated generously by Russian courts.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 35% chance that Vladimir Putin will be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court in connection to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
