Hundreds of teenagers waited hours outside Russia’s Supreme Court to witness the only antiwar party lose its place on the ballot. Then a police officer raised a megaphone to talk about draft offices.

Russia's Supreme Court barred Yabloko from September's State Duma elections on August tenth, removing the only antiwar party eligible to participate. The Rodina party had sued for revocation, citing copyright violations and foreign financing, but also accused Yabloko of extremism—specifically for opposing the persecution of LGBTQ+ people and calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine. According to Meduza, hundreds of supporters, most under thirty and many teenagers, gathered outside the courthouse. They passed apples, a reference to the party's name, while the hearing proceeded. The crowd left peacefully but visibly deflated by the court's decision.

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