Russia’s Central Election Commission registers anti-war Yabloko party for State Duma elections

Russia's Central Election Commission has registered the Yabloko party for September's State Duma elections—currently the only officially registered political party in Russia openly opposing the war. According to Meduza, the anti-war party will field two hundred sixty-nine federal candidates, plus one hundred thirty-five running in single-mandate districts, under the campaign slogan 'For Peace and Freedom.' But major obstacles are mounting: St. Petersburg's election commission refused to register Yabloko's regional candidates, Petrozavodsk denied them entirely, and party figures including Chair Nikolai Rybakov faced administrative penalties for displaying 'extremist symbols'—a violation that legally bars them from running. Sources tell Meduza that Russian authorities are escalating pressure on Yabloko ahead of the vote, trying to force the party to withdraw or strip its most prominent figures from the ballot.

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