Putin approved removal of Russias Yabloko party from parliamentary elections — court ruling

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the exclusion of the Yabloko party from the State Duma elections, according to a column by journalist Mikhail Zygar published in Der Spiegel on Aug. 15. Zygar cited sources stating that First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kiriyenko, who oversees domestic policy, and the FSB also supported the move, arguing that allowing Yabloko to remain on the ballot posed too great a risk .

The Supreme Court of Russia formally removed Yabloko from the parliamentary race on Aug. 10, following a lawsuit by the Rodina party alleging copyright violations in campaign materials and the use of “extremist” slogans. Yabloko, which advocates for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine, had initially been permitted to register its federal candidate list by the Central Election Commission. However, its growing support from journalists and opposition figures—including those designated as “foreign agents” or “extremists” in Russia—prompted the Kremlin to reassess its participation, Zygar wrote .

Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov confirmed in an interview with Tagesspiegel on Aug. 16 that the party would appeal the ruling, which is not yet final. “There are no grounds to exclude Yabloko from the elections,” Rybakov said, adding that the party expects to win in court. Official reasons for the exclusion include alleged copyright infringements and foreign financing, though Rybakov dismissed these as pretextual .

Zygar’s sources noted that Yabloko’s potential to serve as a legal anti-war platform concerned authorities, as it could reveal public sentiment on the conflict. “Yabloko became less a contender for political power and more a barometer of public opinion,” he wrote . A political consultant working with the presidential administration and regional authorities told Meduza in autumn 2025 that Yabloko was unlikely to be allowed in federal elections, describing it as a “megaphone amplifying the signal of the emigrated opposition.”