Alexander Rodnyansky: Oscar-nominated producer sentenced to jail in Russia in absentia

Alexander Rodnyansky, the Ukrainian film producer who has publicly opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was declared to be a ‘foreign agent’ by Russia in 2022. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

A Moscow court has sentenced Oscar-nominated film producer Alexander Rodnyansky to eight-and-a-half years jail in absentia on Monday for spreading “fake” information about the Russian army.

Rodnyansky, 63, was born in Kyiv but spent most of his career in Russia, producing dozens of TV series and movies there including the Oscar-nominated crime drama Leviathan. He has been an outspoken critic of the Kremlin’s offensive since it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, repeatedly denouncing the invasion on social media.