Sidelining of "Yabloko" reveals Kremlin's fear of even mild opposition

Russia's Yabloko party has recently suffered a sharp fall from Kremlin favor, an event that is both surprising and, in a sense, predictable. It is surprising because Yabloko was the only party planning to run in the upcoming State Duma elections on an openly anti-war platform.

Elections without real choice

It should be noted that these elections cannot be considered elections in the democratic sense. Genuine opposition parties effectively do not exist in Russia. Those forces that do voice views unwelcome to the authorities do so either with the Kremlin's knowledge or, at the very least, under its close supervision — a system in which any criticism is tolerated only within controlled limits.

A telling signal

Against this backdrop, Yabloko's removal from the race takes on particular significance. It suggests the Kremlin has become more cautious even toward parties that were previously regarded as conditionally acceptable within the system — that is, forces operating formally within the legal field while occasionally expressing differing views.

The fact that even such relatively limited criticism is no longer tolerated within Russia's political system points to growing nervousness among the authorities. This may indicate a Kremlin desire to eliminate any public dissent altogether, including on the continuation of the war in Ukraine, even when that dissent comes from forces previously seen as harmless to the system.