Moscow Court Sentences Exiled Businessman Khodorkovsky to 10 Years in Prison for 'War Fakes'
A Moscow court sentenced exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky to 10 years in prison in absentia on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military's actions in Ukraine. Khodorkovsky, a former oil oligarch and prominent critic of the Kremlin, was accused of posting misleading content on social media about Russian military casualties and the bombing of a Kyiv children's hospital. The conviction is part of broader pressure against anti-war activists and independent media in Russia, with Khodorkovsky also facing terrorism charges related to his involvement with the Russian Anti-War Committee.
Moscow's Meshchansky Court on Monday convicted exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky of spreading false information about the Russian military and sentenced him to 10 years in a medium-security prison in absentia, along with a five-year ban from managing websites and online platforms. Prosecutors accused Khodorkovsky of posting "knowingly false information" on social media, specifically citing a tweet about Russian military casualties and a YouTube video about the bombing of a children's hospital in Kyiv. The charges were brought in September 2023, with an arrest warrant issued in January 2024 and the case submitted to court in January 2026; prosecutors had requested a 14-year sentence. Khodorkovsky, who was pardoned by President Putin in 2013 after serving time for fraud and tax evasion, has lived abroad since and is a leading member of the Russian Anti-War Committee, which Moscow authorities have accused of attempting to overthrow the government and charged with terrorism. The conviction reflects Russia's intensified legal pressure against critics of the war in Ukraine and independent journalism.
What's missing
The article does not provide Khodorkovsky's or his legal team's substantive response to the specific factual claims about the posts in question, nor does it independently verify whether the social media content cited was actually false or whether it matched reporting from established international news organizations. Additionally, there is limited detail on the evidentiary basis for the court's guilty verdict.
How coverage differed
The Moscow Times, while designated as a center-biased source, frames this as part of broader repression of independent journalism and anti-war activism in Russia. The outlet explicitly contextualizes the conviction within its own struggles against government designation as an 'undesirable organization,' which adds editorial perspective to the news reporting.
What different sources said
- The Moscow TimesCenter
Khodorkovsky Jailed 10 Years in Absentia Over ‘War Fakes’
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