Russia Bans Last Opposition Party Against Ukraine War From Duma Elections

Russia's Supreme Court has banned the opposition Yabloko party from participating in the upcoming Duma elections, effectively silencing the last political group openly opposing the war in Ukraine. The court's decision on Monday pushes Russia's political dissidents into an even tighter corner.

"Yabloko's exclusion from the elections means a refusal to engage in dialogue with people who ask uncomfortable questions of the authorities," said Nikolai Rybakov, the party's chairman. He intends to appeal the Supreme Court's ruling. The Duma elections are scheduled to take place in Russia from September 18-20.

The ban was requested by the Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of supporting extremist movements. Rodina claimed Yabloko published material on its website supporting the "international LGBT movement," which was banned in Russia as an "extremist" organization in 2023. The Rodina lawsuit also alleged that Yabloko received undeclared election support from Western countries, claims Rybakov denied during the day-long trial.

Hundreds gathered outside the Moscow courthouse to show solidarity with Yabloko, according to the BBC. Yabloko's candidate list for the upcoming elections was initially approved in late July, but several party members had already been excluded. Among them was Vice Chairman Maxim Kruglov, sentenced to seven years in prison in June for spreading "lies about the army."

Yabloko's standing in Russia has weakened annually. Originally formed as an electoral bloc in 1993, Yabloko won seats in several Duma elections in the 1990s and early 2000s. The group reorganized as a party in 2001. Since the 2007 elections, the party has not secured any seats in the Duma. In later years, the party still performed well in local elections, holding 185 representatives in Moscow regional councils in the early 2020s, a number that dropped to just four after the September 2022 local elections.

The position of those opposing the war in Ukraine has further deteriorated in Russia. Earlier in August, opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin reportedly fled Russia. Nadezhdin gained prominence during the 2024 Russian presidential election campaign when he positioned himself as a challenger to President Vladimir Putin. The Russian Foreign Ministry designated Nadezhdin a foreign agent in July after he announced his intention to run in the September Duma elections.

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Yabloko's exclusion from the elections means a refusal to engage in dialogue with people who ask uncomfortable questions of the authorities.