Russian Supreme Court bans anti-war Yabloko party from upcoming parliamentary elections

Russia’s Supreme Court on Monday barred the liberal Yabloko party from contesting September’s parliamentary elections. The ruling effectively side-lines the only officially registered political party in the country that actively opposes Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The court ruled in favour of a lawsuit filed by Rodina, a small pro-Kremlin nationalist party. Rodina alleged that Yabloko had received undeclared campaign support, including backing from Western sources.

Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov rejected the allegations during the day-long hearing, stating there was no evidence to support the claims. He described the lawsuit as an unconstitutional move to eliminate political rivals and vowed to appeal the decision.

Outside the court, a few hundred mostly young supporters gathered in a rare display of public defiance. Some carried apples, a nod to the party’s name, which means “apple” in Russian, as police monitored the crowd.

Yabloko currently holds no seats in the national parliament, where the ruling United Russia party and other pro-Kremlin factions maintain complete dominance. However, the upcoming campaign had offered the party a national platform to advocate for an immediate ceasefire.

The court’s decision arrives amid shifting public sentiment regarding the conflict. Recent polling by the independent Levada Centre indicated that public support for military actions in Ukraine dropped to 66% in July, marking its lowest point since February 2022.