Russian Election Expert Grigory Melkonyants Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison, State Media Report

Grigory Melkonyants, head of Russia’s election monitoring group Golos, was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of working with an "undesirable" organization, with critics accusing the charges of political bias. The former co-founder faced charges tied to President Putin’s crackdown following Ukraine's invasion and has denied guilt, planning to appeal. Despite pleading not guilty, Melkonyants told supporters he remained hopeful about his case.