Russia’s Supreme Court barred the only liberal party, Yabloko, from participating in the State Duma’s upcoming elections in September. The ruling came after Judge Vyacheslav Kirillov granted a lawsuit filed by lawyers for the nationalist Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of promoting “extremism” and receiving foreign funding.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The Yabloko party is full of traitors. These are people who work for the West and hold Western values,” Rodina leader Alexei Zhuravlyov told reporters outside the Supreme Court building on Aug. 7. Hundreds gather outside court Following the ruling, hundreds of Yabloko supporters gathered outside the courthouse. As security forces prepared to disperse the crowd, they responded with chants of “Shame! Shame!” “You have two minutes to leave,” a police officer warned through a loudspeaker. “No one will come to get you out of the military enlistment offices afterwards.” According to Yabloko’s own estimate, around 500 people had gathered outside the court lined up to enter the building, though the courtroom only had space for about 150. Origins of the legal dispute Seeking to disqualify Yabloko from the upcoming elections, Rodina filed its lawsuit with Russia’s Supreme Court on Aug. 7. Rodina leader Zhuravlyov, who also serves in the State Duma as a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, said his party had uncovered various violations committed by Yabloko, though he did not provide any specific evidence for his remarks.