In May, Yashin was ordered to pay 90,000 rubles ($1,700) for discrediting the Russian military.

Russia has clamped down on criticism of its “special military operation” in Ukraine. A well-known dissident, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was arrested in April and remains imprisoned pending trial for spreading false information about the military. The offense is punishable by up to 15 years.

Also on Wednesday, a Moscow court ordered the detention of a lawyer for a former journalist jailed for two months. Dmitry Talantov, who was arrested this week, was also accused of spreading false information on social media about Russian military actions in Ukraine.

Talantov defended Ivan Safronov, imprisoned since July 2020 for passing military secrets to the Czech intelligence services. Safronov claims his innocence.

He wrote on military and security issues for major Russian newspapers before becoming an adviser to the head of the Russian space agency.