Russia’s only liberal, anti‑war party will not be able to take part in next month’s parliamentary elections, a Moscow court has ruled.
Yabloko is the only registered party that publicly opposes Russia’s war on Ukraine. Its exclusion follows a lawsuit brought by the pro‑Kremlin nationalist party Rodina, which alleged that Yabloko publicly supported an extremist organisation and had infringed copyright by quoting Soviet‑era lyrics.
Hundreds of mainly young demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse, chanting “Russia” and “Yabloko” and carrying apples as symbols of protest. Videos show them shouting “Shame! Shame!” after the verdict was announced.
The Central Electoral Commission had approved Yabloko’s candidate list in late July, but several party leaders were barred from running after convictions for social media statements about Ukrainian civilian casualties and after a cyberattack on the party’s donation appeal.
Yabloko has campaigned under the slogan “For peace and freedom! For a life without fear!” and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, diplomacy and an end to repression. Since the start of Russia’s invasion, it has been the most consistent anti‑war voice, opposing War on Chechnya, the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the current Ukraine invasion.
With the only openly anti‑war party excluded, voters who oppose the Kremlin may be less motivated to turn out, potentially resulting in the low‑turnout election the regime desires. All other participating parties either support the war or remain silent, leaving little opportunity for debate or dissent. Independent election watchdogs have already been stripped of many monitoring powers, underscoring the Kremlin’s intent to control the electoral narrative.
