Russian court strikes anti-war party Yabloko from Duma election list

Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Monday, August 10, to cancel the candidate list registration of the Yabloko party for the upcoming State Duma elections. The lawsuit seeking removal of the list was filed by the ultranationalist party Rodina, which is said to have ties to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

The ruling came just ten days after Russia's Central Election Commission had officially registered Yabloko's list — the only one among registered parties whose platform includes an anti-war position.

Copyright claim as grounds

The formal basis for the decision was a copyright infringement claim. The court found that party founder Grigory Yavlinsky had published a video interview titled "How to Vote for a Ceasefire," and that the party had failed to prove it had permission to use the material featured in it.

Party intends to appeal

Despite the court's ruling, Yabloko's list has not yet been removed from the ballots — the party has stated it intends to appeal the decision to a higher court.

An expert commenting on the case suggested that Russian authorities are trying to prevent a situation that could lead to growing public discontent, but that such actions actually provoke rather than reduce that very risk.