Russian Prosecutor Seeks Eight Years In Prison For Anti-War Senior With Cancer

Igor Baryshnikov has been diagnosed with cancer and urgently needs surgery, his lawyer says. (file photo)

A prosecutor in Russia's far western exclave of Kaliningrad has asked a court to sentence a 64-year-old anti-war activist to eight years in prison on a charge of spreading "fake" information about Russia's armed forces involved in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Igor Baryshnikov's lawyer, Maria Bontsler, told RFE/RL on May 24 that her client was in no state to be incarcerated, as he has been diagnosed with cancer and urgently needs surgery. The case against Baryshnikov was launched on May 5 over his numerous online posts condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.