Russian Supreme Court upholds election ban on Yabloko as vice-chair gets 11-year sentence

Supreme Court confirms election exclusion

On 17 August 2026, the appeals chamber of the Russian Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the liberal party Yabloko, upholding its exclusion from the upcoming State Duma elections scheduled for 18–20 September 2026. Yabloko, founded in 1993 and absent from the 450-seat lower house of parliament since 2003, is the only registered political party in Russia campaigning against the war in Ukraine under the electoral slogan "For peace and freedom". The party had initially obtained registration from the Central Election Commission, but authorities revoked its ballot status following a complaint by Rodina, a pro-Kremlin nationalist party led by Alexei Zhuravlyov. The disqualification left ten other political parties in the race, all of which endorse the Kremlin's military campaign. The official grounds for the ban cited allegations of copyright infringement concerning lines from a Soviet song and claims of foreign financing.

Financial claims and courtroom arguments

During the appeal proceedings in Moscow, Yabloko representatives submitted documentation detailing political donations across the Russian system. The dossier showed that the five parties with parliamentary representation (United Russia, the Communist Party, New People, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and A Just Russia) received at least 1,153 million rubles (approximately $13.6 million) between 2021 and 2025 in funding that contained indications of foreign origins. Party leader Nikolai Rybakov argued that other registered parties routinely used artificial intelligence images and uncredited material on official websites without facing sanctions. Rybakov also stated that state accusations alleging Yabloko purchased 88 million rubles (around 900,000 euros) in advertising fell apart during the hearing.

Rybakov condemned the judicial decision as politically motivated outside the courtroom.

The court was not interested in the essence of the case. It was an imitation of a judicial process.

Prison sentence for party vice-chairman in Pskov

On the same day in Pskov, located 730 kilometres northwest of Moscow, a municipal court sentenced 63-year-old Yabloko vice-chairman Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and one month in prison. Shlosberg, a journalist, historian, and former regional parliamentarian who exposed the combat presence of Russian troops in Ukraine in 2014, was convicted under articles 280 and 207 of the Russian Criminal Code for repeatedly discrediting the military and disseminating false information. Prosecutors had requested a sentence of 12 years and one month. The court cited Shlosberg's call for an immediate ceasefire during a broadcast debate and his 2022 reposting of a British newspaper cartoon depicting Vladimir Putin. Shlosberg had been under house arrest since June 2025 and received 420 hours of community service in November 2025 after his June 2023 foreign agent designation.

Police crack down on supporters outside the court

Russian security forces moved against party supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court building in Moscow ahead of the appeal session. Independent monitors and party statements reported between 35 and 85 people detained, including Viktor Balabanov, a registered Yabloko candidate for the State Duma. Rybakov stated that police officers had visited participants from earlier hearings throughout the prior week to issue formal warnings against public demonstrations. The Central Election Commission confirmed it will remove Yabloko from its assigned second position on the ballot. Party officials stated that Shlosberg's sentencing brings the total number of Yabloko members currently imprisoned for opposing the war to eight.