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

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 Chechnya" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="182455" data-entity-type="event">war on Chechnya, the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the Ukraine" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="129729" data-entity-type="event">invasion of Ukraine.With ruling party Russia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="154443" data-entity-type="organization">United Russia's ratings down to 33% amid inflation, internet blackouts and drone strikes, Yabloko's support had been surging. The Central Electoral Commission 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 show how that the anti-war stance in Russia does not hold much sway. But the government has now appeared 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, would likely benefit the Kremlin.