A Moscow court has ruled that Yabloko, Russia's only liberal, anti-war party, will not be able to participate in next month's parliamentary elections. Yabloko was the only registered party that opposed Russia's war on Ukraine.
The case against Yabloko was initiated by Rodina, a pro-Kremlin nationalist party. Rodina accused Yabloko of publicly supporting an extremist organisation by publishing material on its website in support of the "international LGBT movement," which Russia's Supreme Court designated as extremist in 2023. Rodina also claimed copyright infringement after a senior Yabloko party member quoted Soviet-era song lyrics in an interview. Additionally, Russia's financial monitoring service alleged that Yabloko received money from foreign countries, including Germany and the US, through third parties.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Moscow courthouse on Monday in support of Yabloko, singing and waving flags. Social media videos showed many chanting "Shame! Shame!" when the verdict was announced. The Kremlin-controlled Central Electoral Commission had approved Yabloko's candidate list in late July, despite several party members, including two deputy chairmen and deputy leader Maxim Kruglov, already being barred from running. Kruglov was sentenced in June to seven years' imprisonment for social media posts about civilian casualties in Ukrainian cities.
Yabloko campaigned under the slogan "For peace and freedom! For a life without fear!" and advocated for a "ceasefire, diplomacy, and peace" and "for a Russia free from fear and political repression." All 10 other parties participating in the election either support the war in Ukraine or do not openly criticise it.