Russia's Supreme Court Bars Antiwar Yabloko Party from Parliamentary Elections

Russia's Supreme Court has disqualified the liberal Yabloko party from the State Duma elections scheduled for September 2026. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by the pro-Kremlin Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of copyright infringement, illegal foreign funding, and extremism. While the court did not rule on whether Yabloko's antiwar positions were extremist, it upheld several other claims. Specifically, the court found that Yabloko violated copyright by using an image generated by ChatGPT, polling results from the Levada Center, and specific Soviet-era phrases. The court also ruled that the party engaged in illegal campaign financing by receiving donations from individuals who had received funds from foreign sources and by benefiting from social media support on blocked platforms.

Supporters of Yabloko gathered in front of the Supreme Court to protest the decision, where security services warned them of potential arrests or military enlistment. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov stated that the party would appeal the ruling and claimed to have a plan to participate in the elections regardless. Prominent opposition figures, including Yulia Navalnaya, argued that the Kremlin blocked the party because it feared the visibility of antiwar sentiment among the Russian public.

Center-left sources frame the event as a calculated political experiment by the Kremlin, suggesting the party was initially allowed to register to test public appetite for peace before being shut down. Center sources frame the event as a sign of the political system exposing itself through the removal of a peace platform without real grounds.