When the verdict was read out in a Moscow courtroom on Christmas Day, Sergei Udaltsov did not plead for leniency. Instead, the veteran Russian opposition figure responded with fury. The six-year sentence handed down against him, he said, was “shameful”. Those responsible, he warned, would one day be held to account. Then came the words that travelled quickly across Russia’s remaining independent media: “Be damned, you dogs,” as first reported by the independent outlet Meduza.
Udaltsov, a long-time critic of President Vladimir Putin and a prominent figure in Russia’s protest movement of the early 2010s, was convicted of “justifying terrorism”, a charge that has increasingly been used against political dissenters. Prosecutors had sought seven years in a penal colony; the court imposed six, according to reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Following the verdict, Udaltsov announced that he would begin an indefinite hunger strike, potentially “until death”, once the sentence is enforced, a move that has raised alarm among human rights observers. The Associated Press noted that hunger strikes in Russia’s penal system often carry grave health risks and are rarely met with adequate medical care.
A familiar charge, a widening net
The case against Udaltsov centres on a published article in which he criticised the prosecution of a group of Marxist activists in the city of Ufa, who were themselves convicted as members of an alleged “terrorist organisation”. As Meduza has reported, Russian investigators argued that by questioning the verdicts, Udaltsov had effectively legitimised terrorism, a claim his lawyers reject.
Legal analysts say the case illustrates how Russia’s definition of extremism has become increasingly elastic. According to Reuters, terrorism-related statutes are now routinely applied to speech, commentary and online publications, allowing authorities to criminalise dissent without proving violent intent.
A complicated dissident
Udaltsov does not fit neatly into the image of Russia’s liberal opposition. A left-wing nationalist and leader of the Left Front movement, he has publicly supported Russia’s war against Ukraine, a position that distinguishes him from figures such as Alexei Navalny. Yet that stance has not insulated him from prosecution.
As The Moscow Times has previously reported, Russian authorities have shown little tolerance for political actors who operate independently of the Kremlin, regardless of ideology. Analysts say Udaltsov’s continued ability to mobilise supporters remains a central concern for the state.
The shadow of Navalny
The sentencing inevitably recalls the fate of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, who died in February 2024 in a remote Arctic penal colony under circumstances that remain disputed. Navalny’s death, documented extensively by international media and human rights groups, has cast a long shadow over subsequent cases involving political prisoners.
Human rights monitors warn that Udaltsov’s announced hunger strike places him at particular risk. The Guardian and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have documented repeated cases in which prisoners undertaking hunger strikes in Russia faced severe medical neglect.
Law as an instrument of repression
Udaltsov’s conviction comes amid what observers describe as the near-total dismantling of political space inside Russia. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities have shuttered independent media, outlawed civil society organisations and expanded criminal provisions related to extremism and “foreign influence”.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, thousands of Russians have faced prosecution for anti-war statements, social media posts or peaceful protest. The cumulative effect, analysts argue, is a legal system increasingly used not to adjudicate wrongdoing, but to produce fear and compliance.
Why this case matters beyond Russia
For international human rights organisations, Udaltsov’s sentencing illustrates how authoritarian governments weaponise legal frameworks to silence dissent while maintaining a formal appearance of due process.
As one European human rights researcher told Reuters, such cases amount to “repression with paperwork”, proceedings that look lawful on the surface while stripping legal protections of substance.
As Sergei Udaltsov prepares for a hunger strike, his case has become another test of whether international institutions are willing – or able – to respond to the steady erosion of fundamental rights in Russia.