Russian court bars opposition party Yabloko from Duma election

Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a lawsuit filed by the Rodina party, linked to Dmitry Rogozin, a senator representing Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region, and revoked the candidate registration of opposition party Yabloko for the September 2026 State Duma election. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported the development, according to Latvijas Avīze.

The lawsuit accused Yabloko of several violations, including copyright infringement and spreading extremist slogans, and alleged the party received funding from the United States and Germany. Yabloko had campaigned on ending the war in Ukraine and had condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor back in 2022.

Yabloko founder Grigory Yavlinsky said after the ruling that the decision reveals Kremlin anxiety over the spread of anti-war messaging, and vowed to appeal. Following the hearing, party supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court to protest the exclusion.

The Kremlin's calculation

ISW notes that Russian authorities have repeatedly targeted Yabloko members in recent years, including through the country's "foreign agent" regulations, and had previously barred leading party candidates from running. According to the institute, the Kremlin is aware that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory are raising the war's costs and public discontent, meaning even a small opposition party could become an outlet for that dissatisfaction.

In the 2021 election, Yabloko won just 1.34% of the vote and failed to enter parliament, so analysts see limited real threat to the ruling United Russia party. Still, even modest support for the opposition may be unwelcome to the Kremlin, as authorities seek to minimize any risk that results could cast doubt on officially announced outcomes.

ISW concludes that, compared with previous years, Russian authorities are placing less emphasis on maintaining an appearance of free and fair elections and are instead focusing on suppressing anti-war sentiment. Russia's State Duma election is scheduled for September 2026.