Overview
- The Central Election Commission drew the ballot order on August 5 and placed 11 parties on the State Duma list with United Russia first and Yabloko second.
- The nationalist Rodina party filed a suit in the Supreme Court on August 7 seeking to annul Yabloko’s federally registered list while pro-government leaders have publicly urged the Justice Ministry and Prosecutor General to scrutinize the party.
- Yabloko is under growing pressure at the regional and legal level: roughly 40 members were barred from campaigning, more than 10 face criminal accusations, and 11 people linked to the party were added to the Justice Ministry’s 'foreign agents' registry.
- Russian émigré politicians, journalists and activists have launched a ‘Public Support Headquarters’ online campaign to mobilize votes for Yabloko, a push helped by the party’s strong Telegram engagement compared with United Russia.
- Voting is scheduled for three days from September 18–20 including occupied Ukrainian territories, and a court removal of Yabloko would silence the only registered anti‑war list, limit legal channels for dissent and likely encourage further administrative restrictions.