Russia’s highest judicial body has ruled to exclude the sole party opposing the Kremlin’s military intervention in Ukraine from the forthcoming parliamentary election. The Supreme Court invalidated the registration of Yabloko, which translates to “apple” in Russian, following a petition from a pro-Kremlin party. Initially permitted by the Central Election Commission alongside 10 other parties, Yabloko, once a prominent liberal voice in parliament, gradually lost its parliamentary seats as the Kremlin strengthened its control over Russian politics.
Yabloko, the only registered opposition party in recent years to oppose the deployment of troops to Ukraine, saw its campaign centered on peace and diplomacy, advocating slogans like “For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!” and “Our goal is to prevent nuclear war!” Expressing discontent over the ruling, veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky, co-founder of Yabloko and chair of its political committee, affirmed the party’s intent to challenge the decision.
Various Russian opposition figures in exile, including Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and politicians Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, had urged support for Yabloko due to its anti-war stance. Despite attempts to distance the party from support by exiled Kremlin critics, Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov emphasized that the party did not commission the viral social media videos backing its cause.
Analysts suggest that the initial inclusion of Yabloko on the ballot aimed to provide an outlet for dissent while signaling limited public support for its stance on Ukraine. However, Yabloko’s peace-focused campaign resonated with voters, challenging the Kremlin’s expectations. Nikolay Petrov, a senior research fellow, noted that the decision to remove Yabloko from the ballot underscores the authorities’ unease with the party’s platform.
Kremlin-aligned parties criticized Yabloko’s opposition to Russian policies on Ukraine, with some calling for legal actions against the party. Amid accusations of copyright infringement and campaign spending violations, the Motherland Party instigated the lawsuit leading to Yabloko’s exclusion. Yabloko’s representatives rejected these accusations during the Supreme Court proceedings, drawing support from a crowd of backers outside the courthouse.
Yabloko has faced escalating pressure from the Kremlin in recent years, with prominent members being jailed or labeled as “foreign agents.” The party’s leadership, including individuals like Maxim Kruglov and Lev Shlosberg, has encountered legal challenges and imprisonment, while others, such as Boris Vishnevsky, have been restricted from holding public office due to their designation as “foreign agents.”