Mick Hartley

Mark Galeotti in the Spectator:

Fewer than one in 100 defendants in the Russian court system get acquitted. Even in the best of circumstances then, Ilya Yashin’s chances looked poor. As the last of Russia’s high-profile opposition politicians who remains alive and isn’t in prison or in exile, there never was any question as to whether he was going to be convicted.

Today, he was predictably found guilty in Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, on the deeply-questionable charge of ‘spreading false information about the Russian military’. His crime was to raise the allegations of systematic human rights abuses in the Ukrainian town of Bucha on his YouTube channel in April. Prosecutors are demanding a nine-year prison sentence (as of writing, the actual term has not been announced).

But Yashin didn't go down without speaking out:

Affirming that ‘it’s better to spend ten years behind bars as an honest man than to burn silently in shame for the blood being shed by your government,’ he addressed Putin directly:

‘Mr. Putin! As you look at the consequences of this monstrous war, you probably realise what a big mistake you made on 24 February. No one is greeting our army with flowers. We are called invaders and occupiers. Your name is now firmly associated with death and destruction. You have brought terrible misfortune to the Ukrainian people, who will probably never forgive us. But you’re not only at war with the Ukrainians. You’re at war with your own people…You are taking away the Russian people’s home. Hundreds of thousands of Russians are leaving their homeland because they don’t want to kill or be killed. Those people are running from you, Mr. president. Haven’t you noticed that?’

After urging Putin to ‘stop this madness immediately,’ Yashin then sought to hearten his supporters:

‘Please don’t give in to despair, and don’t forget that this is our country. It’s worth fighting for. Be courageous, don’t give in to this evil, and resist. Defend your neighbourhood. Defend your city. And above all, defend one another! There are many more of us than it seems, and together we are a great force.’

Most importantly, he added:

‘Please promise me that you will keep your optimism and don’t forget how to smile. Because the moment we lose our ability to enjoy life will be the moment they win. Believe me: Russia will be happy and free.’

Apart from an inspiring affirmation of his cause, Yashin has indeed identified a key truth. Even more than fear, apathy and hopelessness are a dictator’s best friends, sapping any will to resist. If there is a silver lining to be found, it is in the degree to which the new generation of Russian dissidents have, despite everything, managed to hold on to that optimism.