Overview
- The Russian Supreme Court, which on Monday removed Iabloko's registered nationwide list, ruled the party cannot compete on the proportional portion of the September State Duma ballot.
- The court acted after a complaint from the pro‑Kremlin Rodina party that accused Iabloko of copyright breaches, foreign funding links, 'LGBT propaganda' and calls against Russia’s territorial integrity.
- Iabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov said the party will appeal and continue campaigning, noting about 130 members remain registered as individual candidates in single‑member districts even though the nationwide list was annulled.
- Supporters held protests outside the court and online interest surged among young Russians, but polls put Iabloko near 3%, below the 5% threshold needed to win seats from the proportional list.
- Rights bodies, including the UN human rights office, urged Russia to lift the ban, which critics say fits a broader post‑2022 pattern of legal and administrative measures that limit opposition space.