• Ilya Yashin circulated “false information” about the Russian army.
• He claims he’s “not afraid, and you shouldn’t be”

Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin said on Friday that the “authors” of the “hysterical verdict” of a Moscow court handing him eight and a half years of jail time are “optimistic about Putin’s prospects,” according to a post on Yashin’s official Telegram account.

“The authors of the verdict are optimistic about Putin’s prospects. In my opinion, they are too optimistic,” he said.

“Strong leaders are calm and self-confident, and only weaklings seek to shut everyone up, burn out any dissent. So today it only remains for me to repeat what was said on the day of my arrest: I am not afraid, and you should not be,” the post added.

According to Russian state media , a Moscow court sentenced Yashin after finding him guilty of disseminating “false information” about the Russian army.

“But we also have no reason to be sad, because we have won this trial, friends,” Yashin continued. “We spoke the truth about war crimes and called for an end to the bloodshed.”

According to Russian authorities, his claims regarding the circumstances behind the murders in Bucha constitute a crime under recently passed legislation that makes disparaging the Russian military forces a crime.

Yashin, who is also a close associate of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, rose to popularity during the demonstrations against Putin’s third term and rigged elections that took place between 2011 and 2012.

Before being disqualified from standing for public office, Yashin continued to be a fervent opponent of Putin for years to come. He also served as a municipal deputy in a tiny Moscow municipality.

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