Russia's Supreme Court bans anti-war Yabloko party from September Duma elections

Supreme Court ruling

Russia's Supreme Court upheld a lawsuit on Monday, August 11, barring the liberal opposition party Yabloko from participating in the State Duma elections scheduled for September 18 to 20. The case was brought by Rodina, a party considered close to the Kremlin, which accused Yabloko of infringing copyright with its campaign materials, engaging in extremist activities, and receiving illegal financing from abroad. Presiding judge Vyacheslav Kirillov delivered the verdict after a nine-hour hearing. Kirillov is the same judge who banned the Russian human rights organization Memorial and designated it an extremist organization in April, and who previously dismissed legal complaints against the Russian prison service filed by Alexei Navalny, who died in jail in 2024.

Yabloko is the only party among the 11 that registered for the Duma elections that openly calls for a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine. All others, from the majority party United Russia to the Communist Party, Rodina, New People, A Just Russia, and the Liberal Democratic Party, support President Vladimir Putin's war policy. Yabloko was registered for the elections on July 19, and its 43-word program runs under the slogans "For peace and freedom" and "For life without fear," demanding an end to political repression and protection of human life.

Public reaction and intimidation

At least 500 people gathered in front of the Supreme Court to show support for Yabloko, distributing apples, the party's symbol, and singing songs. The name Yabloko derives from the initials of its three founders, Grigory Yavlinsky, Yury Boldyrev, and Vladimir Lukin. After the nine-hour session, security services threatened those gathered with arrest and warned young men they could be taken to a military enlistment office. An 18-year-old volunteer identified only as Karina told N-tv she was surprised by the turnout, calling it the largest opposition gathering she had seen since 2022.

Party leader Nikolai Rybakov wrote on Telegram that evening that the party had not broken any Russian laws and announced he would appeal the judgment.

You are mistaken if you believe that, with a stroke of a pen, you can write off millions of people who want peace, freedom and a normal future for their country.

Kremlin's motives and political context

Grigory Yavlinsky, the 74-year-old economist who founded the party in 1993, said those in power feared Yabloko's program because removing a party with such a platform without real grounds exposes the political system itself. Yulia Navalnaya, director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by her late husband Alexei Navalny, said the Kremlin initially wanted Yabloko to participate but then "got scared" and expelled the party. Andrei Pivovarov, coordinator of the Anti-War Committee of Russia network in exile, told Deutsche Welle that even if Yabloko had entered the Duma the war would not have ended, but it would have demonstrated that many Russians oppose the war.

Yabloko was last represented in the national parliament after the 1999 elections, before the 2003 vote when it fell below the 5% threshold. In every subsequent Duma election it never exceeded 2%. The party holds some regional and municipal seats. According to party data, 12 members, including Pskov region politician Lev Schlosberg, are in jail or deprived of liberty under legislation that criminalizes pacifist statements. Around 40 party activists face criminal proceedings.

International response

The United Nations human rights office said it was "deeply concerned" that one of Russia's oldest parties had been barred from the ballot and called on authorities to reverse the ban. The ruling also coincided with an appeal by Russian opposition and cultural figures living abroad, including Lyubov Sobol, Ilya Yashin, and Andrei Pivovarov, urging support for Yabloko. Political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky told Deutsche Welle that the expulsion could result from a power struggle between various interest groups within the Kremlin.

A Moscow Public Opinion Foundation index cited by El Pais shows anxiety predominating over calmness among Russians, at 54% versus 39% in early August, with the war the single issue capturing the most attention at 39%, well above concerns about attacks on distribution facilities or fuel shortages.