Elections & Democracy
UN urges Russia to lift anti-war party election ban
The United Nations called on Russia to lift its election ban on Yabloko, the country's only anti-war party still operating inside Russia.
Russia's Supreme Court barred Yabloko from standing as a party in the proportional part of September's parliamentary election on August 10. The proportional vote elects half of the 450-seat State Duma.
Yabloko leader Nikolay Rybakov told AFP on August 11 that the party would appeal and keep campaigning. “We will continue working in Russia. We are not halting the election campaign under any circumstances,” he said.
Rybakov said 130 party members were still registered to contest individual constituencies, which elect the other half of the Duma. It was unclear what the ruling means for candidates registered in districts under a Yabloko umbrella.
Judge Vyacheslav Kirillov said the court had granted claims seeking to annul Yabloko's federal list of candidates. The case was brought by a pro-Kremlin nationalist party.
Russia has tightened repression since launching its full-scale offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. Thousands have been jailed or fined for speaking out against the war, and major opposition figures are jailed, exiled or dead. Yabloko says around 40 of its activists face prosecution.
Yabloko has not won seats in the State Duma since 2003. United Russia, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has won every parliamentary vote since then. A poll conducted earlier this year put Yabloko at three percent support, below the five-percent threshold for entering the lower house through the party-list vote.
Update
The United Nations called on Russia to lift the election ban on the anti-war party Yabloko.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 15:28:08 UTC.
Update
Yabloko leader Nikolay Rybakov told AFP the party would keep working in Russia and would not halt its election campaign.
Rybakov said 130 Yabloko members were still registered to contest individual constituencies.
The ruling blocks Yabloko from the proportional representation part of the State Duma election, while its effect on district candidates registered under a Yabloko umbrella was unclear.
Yabloko's social media manager said searches for the party had risen by 90 percent in recent weeks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 August 2026 at 17:07:54 UTC.
Update
Yabloko leader Nikolay Rybakov said around 40 party activists were facing prosecution.
Yabloko deputy leader Maxim Kruglov was jailed for seven years in June over social media posts critical of the conflict.
Authorities arrested the head of Yabloko's Pskov branch, Lev Shlosberg, last year.
Rybakov was fined in December for publishing a photo of Alexei Navalny on social media, barring him from running in September.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 20:03:44 UTC.
Update
Russia's Supreme Court upheld a suit seeking to annul Yabloko's federal candidate list for the State Duma election.
Judge Vyacheslav Kirillov said the claims against Yabloko's candidate list were granted.
About 100 supporters gathered outside the courthouse and chanted after the ruling.
Yabloko leader Nikolay Rybakov said the party would appeal.
A poll cited in the item put Yabloko at three percent support, below the five-percent threshold for entering the lower house.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 17:48:08 UTC.
Update
A Russian court barred the only anti-war party from elections.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 16:52:17 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The material does not identify the specific UN official or body behind the call.
It remains unclear what the court ruling means for candidates registered in districts under a Yabloko umbrella.
Source
AFP news report published on .