A Russian lawyer who represented opponents of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Dmitry Talantov, 63, was found guilty of spreading “fake news” about the Russian army, based on five social media posts he made at the start of the war criticising the invasion.

In emotional remarks after the verdict, Mr Talantov said that he had effectively been served a death sentence.

“It seems to me that today it is not at all scary to die, today it is scary to live. But you need to live, I am sure of this, you must live,” he said.

The lawyer added that it was unlikely that he would survive a long stint in prison, which he said was designed to kill off the opponents of the regime.