In a landmark ruling, a federal court in Moscow declared that Yabloko, Russia’s only registered party openly opposing the war in Ukraine, cannot submit its candidate list for next month’s parliamentary election. The decision was reached in a hearing that began early on Monday and ran for approximately eight hours.
Yabloko, which has campaigned under slogans like “For peace and freedom” and “For a life without fear,” gained recent ground as public dissatisfaction with the Kremlin has surged. Members of the party, including former deputy leaders, had already been barred from standing by the Central Electoral Commission earlier in July, citing earlier legal challenges.
The legal action was spearheaded by the pro‑Kremlin nationalist party Rodina, whose complaint alleged that Yabloko promoted an extremist organization – a group the Russian Supreme Court designated as extremist in 2023 – and had infringed copyrights by quoting a Soviet‑era song in a public interview. Rodina also argued that Yabloko had received foreign funds from entities in Germany and the United States, a claim the court deemed serious.
Outside the courthouse, hundreds of young Russians gathered in the square, holding apples as a sign of support—Yabloko’s name translates to “apple” in Russian. Protesters chanted “Russia” and “Yabloko,” and many sprayed slogans such as “Shame!” after the court’s verdict. The scene was captured on video by social media users, showing the crowd’s reaction to the decision.
Historically, Yabloko has been the only opposition party to oppose Russia’s invasions of Chechnya, Crimea and Ukraine. Although the party has yet to win seats in the State Duma since 2003, its presence has signaled a persistent voice of dissent. With its exclusion, the election will feature ten other parties—all of which either support the war or remain silent on it, raising concerns about the Kremlin’s ability to control the narrative of the upcoming vote.
The Kremlin’s change in stance may reflect a strategy to reduce voter turnout among anti‑war citizens by removing the sole opposition candidate from the ballot. Election observers have reported a shrinking capacity to monitor and challenge the process, further tightening the regime’s grip on the political arena.
