Moscow court Kremlin critic’s appeal of prison sentence

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court has dismissed a prominent Russian opposition figure’s appeal of his 8 1/2-year prison sentence for criticism of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Ilya Yashin was convicted in December of spreading false information about the military, which was made a criminal offense after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine. The charges against him stemmed from online posts discussing atrocities in Bucha, a town outside Ukraine’s capital where dead civilians were found in the streets and a mass grave after Russian troops withdrew. Yashin participated by video link in Wednesday’s Moscow City Court hearing on his ultimately unsuccessful appeal.