Overview
- In mid‑August the Supreme Court upheld a suit by the pro‑Kremlin Rodina party that canceled Yabloko’s federal list and the Central Election Commission then removed Yabloko from the nationwide ballot.
- On August 19 the Moscow Regional Court struck Yabloko’s single‑mandate candidate Viktor Bystrov from the Kolomna district contest despite an election‑account statement shown in court that recorded no transfers to him.
- Challengers based their cases on alleged extremism, foreign funding, unpaid social‑media campaigning, and copyright violations, but court hearings frequently produced little or no documentary proof for those claims.
- Authorities have also used short detentions and administrative arrests of Yabloko supporters who gathered at the Supreme Court, and local officials have pressured candidates and taken down campaign materials.
- The actions build on recent laws that target foreign funding and 'extremism' and will most likely be appealed by Yabloko while observers watch whether courts and the election administration continue to narrow formal opposition before the vote.