Russia's Supreme Court bars anti-war Yabloko party from September parliamentary elections

Court ruling

Russia's Supreme Court on 10 August upheld a lawsuit filed by the pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina, annulling Yabloko's registration for September's State Duma elections. Judge Vyacheslav Kirillov told the court that the claims seeking to annul the federal candidate list nominated by Yabloko were granted. The hearing lasted eight hours. Yabloko, founded in 1993, was the only officially registered party in Russia to openly call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, campaigning under the slogan "For peace and freedom! For a life without fear!"

Rodina levelled multiple accusations against Yabloko: receiving undeclared campaign support from Western sources, publicly supporting an extremist organisation by publishing material in support of the "international LGBT movement" (designated extremist by Russia's Supreme Court in 2023), and copyright infringement after a senior party member quoted lyrics from the Soviet-era song "Let there always be sunshine" in an interview. Russia's financial monitoring service also claimed Yabloko received money through third parties from foreign countries, including Germany and the United States. The Central Electoral Commission had approved Yabloko's candidate list in late July.

Party leader's response

Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov rejected the allegations during the hearing, saying there was no evidence to support them and describing the case as an unconstitutional attack on freedom of thought by political opponents seeking to clear the field of rivals. After the ruling, he announced the party would appeal.

Excluding Yabloko from the election means refusing dialogue with people who ask questions that are uncomfortable for the authorities.

In a message posted on Telegram, Rybakov wrote that whatever the conclusion of the case, a long road lay ahead for the future of Russia, and that the most important thing was that people stop killing each other.

Supporters gather outside court

Several hundred supporters, mostly young people, gathered outside the Moscow courthouse during the hearing. Some carried apples, the symbol of Yabloko (which means "apple" in Russian). One supporter wore a Russian flag as a cape. When the verdict was announced, many in the crowd chanted "Shame! Shame!" The gathering was dispersed after the ruling. A supporter named Yevgeniya said she felt duty-bound to attend.

We think it's essential we show that there are lots of us, that we're united in our support for this party, because we all want peace.

Pressure on Yabloko members

The court decision follows months of pressure on Yabloko. Eight party officials have been imprisoned and around forty activists face legal proceedings. Deputy leader Maxim Kruglov was sentenced in June to seven years' imprisonment for social media posts about civilian casualties in Bucha, Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities. Last week, Yabloko suffered a cyberattack shortly after launching a donations appeal for its election campaign.

Electoral prospects

A poll conducted earlier this year credited Yabloko with just 3% of voter support, below the 5% threshold required to enter the State Duma. The party has not won seats in the Duma since 2003. Independent polls show most Russians favour peace negotiations with Kyiv, but the Kremlin has repeatedly ruled out a ceasefire, saying it wants an overall deal meeting its own conditions. Yabloko has received backing from exiled opposition figures, including Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny. Both are listed as "extremists" in Russia.