Yegor Zhukov, 21, had only just escaped the jaws of Russian justice and an expected four-year prison sentence.

But as he addressed hundreds of supporters from the steps of Kuntsevo District Court in Moscow, the student blogger was in defiant mood.

“Don’t separate these court cases from politics, because it’s all about the politics,” he said on Thursday. “They have turned these courtrooms into an institute of repression. We need to fight it.”

Mr Zhukov’s three-year suspended sentence was one of four unexpectedly lenient verdicts handed to young protesters in Moscow on Friday.

Judges imposed guilty verdicts in all episodes, but the tariffs they imposed were considerably less than requested by state prosecutors.

Pavel Novikov, 32, was released with a fine of 120,000 rubles (£15,000). He had been put on trial for “injuring” a police officer at the 27 July protest rally in Moscow. A video showed him throwing a small water bottle in the officer’s direction. Prosecutors had asked for three and a half years’ jail time.

Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Show all 20 1 /20 Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Riot police officers detain a participant of an unsanctioned rally urging fair elections at Moscow's Pushkinskaya Square AFP/Getty Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Opposition leader Lyubov Sobol was among the hundreds arrested amid new rallies AFP/Getty Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police The rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections Reuters Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Police in Moscow have detained a leading opposition figure as she was heading to an unauthorized rally and march protesting the exclusion of independent and opposition candidates from the Moscow city council election. Lyubov Sobol, who is one of the aspirants rejected from the ballot, has been detained in central Moscow and taken away in a police van. Police have detained dozens of other demonstrators. (AP Photo/ Pavel Golovkin) Pavel Golovkin AP Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Law enforcement officers detain a participant in a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia August 3, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva TATYANA MAKEYEVA Reuters Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Police block a square during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Moscow police on Saturday detained nearly 90 people protesting the exclusion of some independent and opposition candidates from the city council ballot, a monitoring group said, a week after arresting nearly 1,400 at a similar protest. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Alexander Zemlianichenko AP Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Riot police officers detain a man during an unsanctioned rally urging fair elections in downtown Moscow on August 3, 2019. - The rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images ALEXANDER NEMENOV AFP/Getty Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police epa07754982 Russian riot police carry a detained participant of the liberal opposition protest action in the center of Moscow, Russia, 03 August 2019. Liberal opposition called their supporters to continue their protest actions against rejecting their candidates for Moscow City Duma elections, which is scheuled for 08 September. Most of the candidates have been placed on administrative arrest before and during last week protest action where about 1,300 participants were detained. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV MAXIM SHIPENKOV EPA Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Police block a street during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Moscow police detained more than 300 people Saturday who are protesting the exclusion of some independent and opposition candidates from the city council ballot, a monitoring group said. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) Pavel Golovkin AP Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police epa07754984 Russian riot police try to catch a participant of the liberal opposition protest action in the center of Moscow, Russia, 03 August 2019. Liberal opposition called their supporters to continue their protest actions against rejecting their candidates for Moscow City Duma elections, which is scheuled for 08 September. Most of the candidates have been placed on administrative arrest before and during last week protest action where about 1,300 participants were detained. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV MAXIM SHIPENKOV EPA Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Law enforcement officers detain a participant in a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia August 3, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov SHAMIL ZHUMATOV Reuters Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Riot police officers detain a man during an unsanctioned rally urging fair elections in downtown Moscow on August 3, 2019. - The rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images ALEXANDER NEMENOV AFP/Getty Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police epa07754930 Russian riot police detain a female participant of the liberal opposition protest action in the center of Moscow, Russia, 03 August 2019. Liberal opposition called their supporters to continue their protest actions against rejecting their candidates for Moscow City Duma elections, which is scheuled for 08 September. Most of the candidates have been placed on administrative arrest before and during last week protest action where about 1,300 participants were detained. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV MAXIM SHIPENKOV EPA Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Police officers detain a protestor, during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Moscow police on Saturday detained nearly 200 people protesting the exclusion of some independent and opposition candidates from the city council ballot, a monitoring group said, a week after authorities arrested nearly 1,400 at a similar protest. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Alexander Zemlianichenko AP Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Servicemen of the Russian National Guard detain a man during an unsanctioned rally urging fair elections in downtown Moscow on August 3, 2019. - The rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images ALEXANDER NEMENOV AFP/Getty Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police TOPSHOT - Riot police officers detain a journalist during an unsanctioned rally urging fair elections at Moscow's Pushkinskaya Square on August 3, 2019. - The rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images ALEXANDER NEMENOV AFP/Getty Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Police officers detain men during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Russian group says at least 600 people arrested at unsanctioned election protest in Moscow. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Alexander Zemlianichenko AP Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Police block a street during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Russian group says at least 600 people arrested at unsanctioned election protest in Moscow. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) Pavel Golovkin AP Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Law enforcement officers detain a participant in a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia August 3, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva TATYANA MAKEYEVA Reuters Moscow protests: hundreds detained by riot police Riot police officers detain a man during an unsanctioned rally urging fair elections in downtown Moscow on August 3, 2019. - The rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections. (Photo by Vasily MAXIMOV / AFP)VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images VASILY MAXIMOV AFP/Getty

Vladimir Yemelyanov, 27, was handed a two-year suspended sentence. He was arrested in connection to the same protest rally – his crime, pulling a truncheon-waving police officer away from protesters.

Prosecutors asked for a four-year custodial sentence, despite a statement from the officer that he had “no complaints in relation to the defendant”.

Unusually, the judge announced she would be taking “mitigating circumstances” of his financial support for his elderly grandmother and great-grandmother into account – and would be releasing Mr Yemelyanov on parole. Immediately following the verdict, the young man rushed to embrace his grandmother, who had been watching nervously, sedatives in hand.

A fourth defendant, Nikita Chirtsov, did receive a custodial sentence for assault – he had pushed during skirmishes. But even then his tariff was much reduced, and he received one year instead of the three and a half years requested by prosecutors.

Later, prosecutors announced they were dropping charges in relation to a fifth defendant, Sergei Fomin.

In the four months since protests unexpectedly broke out in Moscow, authorities have invested extensive police resources in Russia’s young protest generation. In total, 90 state investigators were assigned to the so-called Moscow Affair. This is nearly 50 per cent more than the number deployed following the 2004 school terror attack in Beslan.

Initially, the security bloc was intent on a clampdown. In quick time, courts convicted six young men in often wild sentencing – in one case a man received five years for a tweet.

But public outcry forced authorities to drop half a dozen other cases. The Kremlin was also pushed to overturn the verdict in the case of 23-year-old actor Pavel Ustinov, jailed for resisting arrest even though footage showed he was more precisely the victim of an unprovoked assault by police.

Friday’s verdicts suggest that the Kremlin has become worried about the possible radicalising effect of a hardline strategy.

The case of Yegor Zhukov, who was the most prominent of the protesters sentenced on Friday, seems to underline such fears. Before his “extremist” YouTube videos criticising the Kremlin caught the attention of the Russian government, the politics student was but a little-known blogger.

Since then he has emerged as a potential opposition leader.

His defiant final words in court were widely shared before his verdict – and were seen by some as a rallying call for further protests.