Russia’s Supreme Court has removed Yabloko, the country’s only registered anti-war party, from September’s parliamentary election. Despite the party having no seats in the State Duma, and only limited representation at the regional level, it still poses a threat to the Kremlin as Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ruling United Russia party’s ratings continue to slide.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. What happened to Yabloko On Aug. 10, the Supreme Court annulled Yabloko’s registration for Russia’s Sept. 18-20 parliamentary election. The ruling followed a lawsuit from the nationalist, pro-Kremlin Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of copyright violations, exceeding campaign-spending limits, and promoting positions that allegedly threatened Russia’s territorial integrity. The Central Election Commission had approved Yabloko’s candidate lists only a month earlier. Yabloko campaigned under slogans calling for a ceasefire, diplomacy, and an end to political repression. It was the only legally registered Russian party openly opposing the war. Its campaign began generating unusual attention online. Videos showed young Russians holding apples – “yabloko” means “apple” in Russian – when asked how they intended to vote. Several prominent exiled anti-Putin figures endorsed the party. On Aug. 6, Alexey Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said she believed it was “morally and politically right” to support Yabloko because of its anti-war position. Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza issued similar appeals.
Why the Kremlin Suddenly Became Afraid of Yabloko
Russia has removed its only anti-war party from the parliamentary ballot. The decision points to growing Kremlin anxiety, but neither Yabloko, nor the wider Russian opposition, are beyond criticism.
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