Former Russian lawmaker Gudkov gets 8 years in prison for falsities about armed forces

MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. A Moscow court sentenced former State Duma lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov (designated as a foreign agent in Russia) to eight years in prison in absentia for spreading false information about the Russian armed forces, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office said.
Gudkov committed the crime being “motivated by political hatred,” prosecutors said on Telegram. He is also prohibited from administering websites and other “Internet resources” for four years after serving the sentence.
According to the prosecution, Gudkov posted a video on one of the video sharing platforms that contained false information about the actions of Russian forces during the special military operation. Gudkov did not plead guilty.
With the defendant being on an international wanted list, the court conducted a trial in absentia.