Russia’s Supreme Court Bars Yabloko From September Parliamentary Elections

Russia’s Supreme Court barred Yabloko, the only liberal party openly opposing Moscow’s war in Ukraine, from participating in September parliamentary elections after Judge Vyacheslav Kirillov granted a lawsuit filed by the nationalist Rodina party.

“there are no grounds at all for removing the party from the elections”

Euronews

The decision came just days after Russia’s Central Election Commission had unanimously approved Yabloko’s registration, and it left voters opposed to the war without a ballot option to demand an end to the conflict.

El Mundo

Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov said the ruling had “no grounds at all for removing the party from the elections,” arguing that “All the documents had been checked by the Central Election Commission, and the decision to allow us to run was taken unanimously.”

Rodina leader Alexei Zhuravlyov argued that “lawyers have found numerous violations” in Yabloko’s election campaign, including claims of foreign funding and activity on banned social networks.

The Supreme Court’s move also set a deadline for appeal, with The New York Times reporting that “Unless its appeal is upheld within the next five days, Yabloko will not be able to run in the elections.”

After the ruling, hundreds of Yabloko supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court building and security forces prepared to disperse the crowd as chants of “Shame! Shame!” rose outside the courthouse.

A police officer warned through a loudspeaker, “You have two minutes to leave,” adding that “No one will come to get you out of the military enlistment offices afterwards.”

Euronews

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, told reporters that “The Kremlin is scared,” saying it was “not even so much about support for Yabloko,” but about giving “millions of Russians now have a chance to say what they truly think about Putin and the war.”

Political analyst Mikhail Komin, speaking to The Insider, said the Kremlin may have decided to eliminate “any political risks through outright bans and repression,” linking the move to a behind-the-scenes competition between civilian administration and security services.

Komin argued that the authorities could use Yabloko’s removal to present election results as proof that calls for peace have little public support, saying “It is a safe way to demonstrate that society is in fact consolidated around the idea of war.”

With Yabloko barred from the ballot, the sources describe a narrowing of official channels for Russians seeking peace, with The New York Times framing the ban as a sign the Kremlin “will not tolerate any political forces that question its determination to continue fighting in Ukraine.”

“will not tolerate any political forces that question its determination to continue fighting in Ukraine”

The New York Times

Euronews reported that Yabloko’s platform called for “a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy, and the achievement of peace,” and it said the party’s election programme was “made up of just 43 words.”

The Kyiv Independent quoted Yabloko founder and head of its political council Grigory Yavlinsky saying, “Excluding Yabloko from the election means refusing to engage in dialogue with people who ask questions that are uncomfortable for those in power,” and added that he said, “We disagree with the decision and will appeal it.”

The Insider’s Mikhail Komin suggested the Kremlin may use the outcome to justify post-election decisions, including “a new wave of mobilization into the Russian army,” describing mobilization options such as “hidden mobilization” and “mobilization into [the] drone forces.”

TF1 Info summarized the immediate political consequence for voters opposed to the war, saying the Supreme Court decision deprived them of “the possibility to end it via their ballot,” while also noting that Yabloko had been authorized to contest the election by the Central Electoral Commission.