Anti‑war Party Banned from Russia’s Duma Election

Sun Sep 06 2026 08:05:45 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A Moscow court has barred Yabloko, the only registered anti‑war party, from contesting next month’s parliamentary vote after a lawsuit from the pro‑Kremlin Rodina party.

Yabloko, long‑standing critic of Russia’s war in Ukraine, has been thrown out of the ballot by a Moscow court following a Rodina‑fueled lawsuit citing extremist content and foreign funding. Hundreds of young Russians gathered outside the courthouse, chanting and waving apples in a rare public protest under wartime censorship. The ruling United Russia party now stands alone on the ballot, while independent election observers are hampered, raising concerns about turnout and democratic legitimacy.

Russia’s only liberal, anti‑war party, Yabloko, will not be able to stand for next month’s parliamentary elections after a Moscow court’s ruling.

Yabloko has been the lone registered opposition group openly opposing the war in Ukraine. A lawsuit driven by the pro‑Kremlin nationalist Rodina party accused Yabloko of supporting an extremist LGBT movement and of copyright infringement after a member quoted a Soviet song. Rodina also claimed that Yabloko received foreign money from Germany and the US.

Hundreds of young Russians gathered outside the courthouse on Monday, chanting “Russia” and “Yabloko,” and many carried apples—a symbol of the party—while the hearing ran for eight hours. Social media videos show the crowd singing “Shame! Shame!” after the verdict was announced.

Yabloko had already been weakened by court‑ordered bans on key members, including deputy chairman and deputy leader Maxim Kruglov, who received a seven‑year sentence in June for social media posts about civilian casualties in Ukraine. The party also suffered a cyber‑attack after launching a donations appeal for its election campaign.

While the anti‑war party campaigned under the slogan “For peace and freedom! For a life without fear!” and called for ceasefire and diplomacy, the Kremlin’s decision to exclude Yabloko stops the only political voice that openly criticises the war from appearing on the ballot.

With all ten other parties supporting or remaining silent on the war, the lack of a clear anti‑war option may reduce voter turnout among opposition‑leaning citizens, benefiting the ruling United Russia party, as independent election watchdogs face restrictions and limited oversight.