Russia’s Supreme Court takes up lawsuit seeking to remove anti-war Yabloko party from State Duma ballot; hundreds show up to support the party

Russia's Supreme Court is hearing a lawsuit that seeks to remove the Yabloko party from the ballot for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. Hundreds of party supporters lined up outside the court in Moscow in opposition, Meduza reports. The lawsuit was filed by the Rodina party on August seventh, targeting Yabloko's federal candidate registration. But the argument is unusual: the suit claims social media support from Yabloko followers—posts, videos, likes—amounts to illegal campaign spending worth eighty-eight million rubles over ten days, reaching five hundred twenty-seven million users. Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov noted the math: that's roughly four and a half times Russia's total number of voters.

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