On Monday Russia's supreme court upheld a lawsuit against the anti-war opposition party Yabloko. Its candidates will now be barred from taking part in the parliamentary elections on September 18 to 20.
The case against Yabloko was brought by the pro-Kremlin party Rodina, which accused it of infringing copyright with its election campaign materials. Rodina also made the claim that Yabloko had engaged in extremist activities and had received illegal financing from abroad.
The verdict was pronounced by presiding judge Vyacheslav Kirillov. This was the same judge who, in April, banned the Russian human rights organization Memorial and designated it an extremist organization. Kirillov also previously dismissed legal complaints against the Russian prison service filed by the prominent opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Navalny spent many years in Russian prisons prior to his death in jail in 2024.
At least 500 people gathered in front of the Supreme Court to show their support for Yabloko. They distributed apples and sang songs. The name Yabloko – "apple" in English – derives from the initials of the party's three founders, Grigory Yavlinsky, Yury Boldyrev and Vladimir Lukin (YaBL). The apple is now well-known as a symbol of the party.
