Russian court bars only anti-war party from standing in parliamentary elections

Hundreds gathered outside the Moscow courthouse, chanting “Russia” and “Yabloko” – the Russian word for “apple” – as the eight-hour hearing dragged on. Many carried apples as a sign of support.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, any remaining opposition to the Kremlin has been crushed.

Public shows of dissent have been suppressed by wartime censorship laws and can trigger hefty fines or long prison sentences.

Because protests are no longer permitted, the Yabloko hearing offered a rare chance for likeminded Russians opposing the war to gather publicly. “For Yabloko. For freedom” was scribbled in chalk on the pavement outside the courthouse.

Yabloko has not won Duma seats since 2003 but has contested every election since.

Once led by presidential contender Grigory Yavlinsky, it later fractured with allies – expelling the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2007 and criticising him even after he was eventually imprisoned ahead of his death in 2024.

Still, Yabloko remained Russia’s most consistent anti-war voice, opposing Russia’s war on Chechnya, the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the invasion of Ukraine.

With ruling party United Russia’s ratings down to 33% amid inflation, internet blackouts and drone strikes, Yabloko’s support had been surging.

The Kremlin could have allowed Yabloko to contest the election and initially appeared to be leaning in that direction, potentially to use the party’s marginal result in 2021 – when it won just 1.34% of the vote – to demonstrate how unpopular an anti-war stance is in Russia.

But the Kremlin appears to have changed its calculations as signs of growing dissent over the war in Ukraine emerge.

Without a political force that clearly represents the opposition on the ballot, fewer people may be motivated to go to the polls. A low-turnout election, particularly among those who oppose the ruling party, is exactly what the Kremlin wants.

All 10 other parties taking part in the election either support the war in Ukraine or do not openly criticise it.

And although United Russia’s ratings appear to be in a deep dive, the Kremlin still has the resources to deliver the outcome it wants at the election.

Independent election watchdogs have been deprived of much of their ability to monitor and challenge the process.