Kremlin critic, Ilya Yashin, loses an appeal against what his supporters say is a politically motivated decision to jail him for eight and a half years for criticising Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. Outside the court, Yashin's lawyers protest that "criticism of the authorities cannot be criminalised" but admit the hearing's outcome was little surprise. "It was clear to you and to us what to expect" says Mikhail Biryukov, one of Yashin's lawyers, "from this appeal hearing by the Moscow City Court, within the walls of which (Kremlin critic Vladimir) Kara-Murza's sentence (of 25 years) was pronounced." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES