Russian Court Bars Yabloko From Next Month’s Parliamentary Election

Sun Sep 06 2026 03:23:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A Moscow court has barred Russia’s only anti‑war party, Yabloko, from contesting the next parliamentary election, stifling the country’s vocal opposition.

A Moscow court ruled that Yabloko, Russia’s only liberal anti‑war party, will be barred from the forthcoming parliamentary elections, following a lawsuit by pro‑Kremlin Rodina. The ruling comes amid accusations of extremist support and copyright infringement. Despite the group’s long-standing opposition to the Ukraine war, the Kremlin’s move aims to reduce turnout among dissenters and secure a Kremlin‑friendly outcome. Independent election observers are increasingly sidelined as all other parties either support or remain silent on the war.

Russian Court Bars Yabloko From Next Month’s Parliamentary Election

Russia’s only liberal, anti‑war party, Yabloko, will not be able to take part in next month’s parliamentary elections, a Moscow court has ruled.

The court’s decision follows a lawsuit launched by Rodina, a pro‑Kremlin nationalist party, accusing Yabloko of supporting extremist organisations and of copyright infringement.

Hundreds of young Russians gathered outside the courthouse on Monday, chanting “Russia” and “Yabloko” and waving apples as symbols of support. The crowd filmed the hearing in real‑time, and when the verdict was read, many shouted “Shame!”

Yabloko’s campaign slogan this election cycle was “For peace and freedom! For a life without fear!”. The party has opposed Russia’s war on Ukraine, Chechnya, and 2014 Crimea annexation, yet it hasn’t won a seat in the State Duma since 2003.

Although the Central Electoral Commission had approved Yabloko’s candidate list in late July, several party members were already barred from running, including deputy chairman Maxim Kruglov, whose June jail sentence followed remarks about civilian casualties in Ukrainian towns.

The Kremlin’s decision comes amid growing discontent over the war, with United Russia’s popularity slipping. By excluding Yabloko from the ballot the authorities aim to reduce turnout among anti‑war voters and secure a Kremlin‑friendly result.

All ten other parties in the election support or are silent on the war, and independent election watchdogs are increasingly unable to monitor the process.

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