Russia’s Supreme Court Bars Yabloko, Only Pro-Peace Party, From Upcoming Elections

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. Other Topics of Interest 1 Killed, 3 Wounded in Russian Strikes on Dnipropetrovsk Region Russia continues to strike civilian infrastructure, targeting residential areas and private homes. In response, Yabloko threatened to sue Zhuravlyov for defamation. Russia’s Supreme Court confirmed receiving Rodina’s disqualification filing that same day, with a hearing scheduled for Monday, Aug. 10. Foreign funding allegations During Monday’s hearing, Russian media outlet Kommersant reported that Central Election Commission authorities said they had uncovered evidence indicating candidates from Yabloko had received funding from abroad. Reportedly, the election authorities told the court that data supplied by Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, showed several Yabloko candidates had received foreign financial transfers in 2025. “We’re funded by Russian citizens, and we answer to Russian citizens, as well as the Central Election Commission,” Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov told the Supreme Court, rejecting the allegations. “What’s new about Russian citizens donating to the Yabloko party?” Rybakov said of the report read out in court. “Russian citizens had donated 16,900,000 rubles (roughly $204,885) to the Yabloko party. This was labeled foreign financing,” he added. Outside the court, Rybakov told supporters that the party would appeal the ruling within the five-day deadline and would do everything possible to take part in the election, according to Ostorozhno Novosti. Yabloko’s registration had already drawn attacks Yabloko, the only registered liberal and openly anti-war party, campaigns for peace and freedom, as well as for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s nationalist parties had previously accused Yabloko of “betraying the motherland,” due them openly supporting the ceasefire. “Elections have very often been the moment when we’ve managed to create big problems for Putin,” said Yulia Navalnaya, widow of late Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was murdered using a toxin from poison dart frogs while held in an Arctic penal colony in 2024. “The Kremlin is scared,” she said, adding that “it’s not even so much about support for Yabloko.” “It’s about the fact that millions of Russians now have a chance to say what they truly think about Putin and the war,” she continued. A broader pattern of suppression The move against Yabloko fits Russia’s broader pattern of systematically suppressing progressive and liberal voices it associates with Western values. In June, a court in Orenburg sentenced three employees of a bar to up to seven years in prison for participating in an “extremist organization,” the first case tied to Russia’s designation of the LGBTIQ+ movement as extremist. Moscow has similarly promoted residency programs for foreigners who explicitly reject Western values and progressive social norms by issuing a “traditional values” visa scheme, framing itself as a refuge for those “under pressure” in liberal democracies. Yabloko’s removal from the upcoming elections, therefore, does not come as a surprise. Rather, it reflects the Kremlin’s consistent pattern of treating pro-peace and liberal positions as threats to be eliminated, instead of a legitimate political opposition. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.