Deputy Chair of Pskov Yabloko Svetlana Vasilkova fined for “display of extremist symbols”
Press Release, 9.06.2026
Photo: Svetlana Vasilkova / Photo by Pskov Yabloko
Svetlana Vasilkova, deputy of the Pustoshka Municipal District of Pskov and Deputy Chair of Pskov Yabloko, has been fined 1,000 roubles (approximately USD 14) under the article on “display of extremist symbols” (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The ruling was handed down by the Opochetsky District Court on 8 June. This is the tenth administrative record drawn up against prospective party candidates ahead of the forthcoming September elections.
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Posted: June 9th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Court upholds fine against Novgorod Yabloko member Anton Kostryukov under article on “display of extremist symbols”
Press Release, 9.06.2026
Photo: Viktor Shalyakin (left), member of the Bureau of Novgorod Yabloko, and Anton Kostryukov (right) at the Novgorod Regional Court / Photo by Novgorod Yabloko
Anton Kostryukov, a Yabloko member from Veliky Novgorod, will be unable to stand in the elections to the Novgorod Regional Duma. This was announced by the party’s regional branch after the Novgorod Regional Court upheld the ruling holding Anton Kostryukov administratively liable under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (“display of extremist symbols”). The decision was handed down by a judge of the Novgorod Regional Court.
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Posted: June 9th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Prominent Russian physicist and prospective Yabloko candidate for the State Duma Grei Boltachev released from special detention facility
Press Release, 8.06.2026
Photo: Grei Boltachev after his release from the special detention facility on 8 June 2026 / Photo by Vechernie Vedomosti
Grei Boltachev, a prominent Russian physicist, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and leading research fellow at the Institute of Electrophysics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been released in Alapayevsk (Sverdlovsk Region) following his arrest.
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Posted: June 9th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Foreign agent legislation must be abolished — especially following the Justice Ministry’s admission about the grounds for inclusion in the register
Press Release, 8.06.2026
Picture: 4% — the share of “foreign agents” in whose case the Justice Ministry found evidence of foreign funding in 2025
Last week, Deputy Justice Minister Oleg Sviridenko staged what can only be described as an act of self-exposure. He acknowledged that foreign funding was far from the principal reason for which people were entered in the foreign agents register.
“If that were the sole criterion today, it would account for just 4% of foreign agents. Can you imagine? We would be searching with Rosfinmonitoring for money that simply isn’t there. And money isn’t needed — there are other forms now,” Sviridenko said, speaking at a session of the Federation Council Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty.
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Posted: June 9th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, Без рубрики.
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Prominent Russian physicist Grey Boltachev arrested in Yekaterinburg having announced his intention to stand for the State Duma on a Yabloko ticket
Press Release, 6.06.2026
Photo: Grey Boltachev / Photo by Vechernie Vedomosti
Scientist Grey Boltachev has been arrested in Yekaterinburg on an alleged charge of using obscene language in a public place (Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The news was reported by the outlet Vechernie Vedomosti, citing sources. Boltachev had previously announced his intention to stand as a Yabloko candidate for both the regional Legislative Assembly and the State Duma.
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Posted: June 9th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Yabloko Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg to remain in pre-trial detention until 21 November, contrary to the position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
Press Release, 6.06.2026
Photo: Lev Shlosberg at the court hearing on 5 June 2026 / Photo by Pskov Yabloko
A judge of Pskov Regional Court dismissed the appeals lodged by defence counsel Vladimir Danilov and Vera Kovalchuk against the ruling of a judge of Pskov City Court, by which Yabloko Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg’s pre-trial detention had been extended by six months.
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Posted: June 8th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Kaliningrad court sentences Yabloko member and lawyer Vladimir Sorokin to one year in prison for a 500-rouble donation
Press Release, 5.06.2026
Photo: Vladimir Sorokin / Photo by Kaliningrad Yabloko
Lawyer and Yabloko member Vladimir Sorokin has been sentenced to one year in prison for a money transfer to an organisation designated as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation (Article 282.3 Part 1 of the Criminal Code). The ruling was handed down by a judge of the Central Court of Kaliningrad.
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Posted: June 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Yegor Tkachenko of Yekaterinburg Yabloko added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list of terrorists and extremists
Press Release, 4 June 2026
Photo: Yegor Tkachenko / Photo by the Yabloko branch in the Sverdlovsk Region
This was reported on the agency’s website. The party is not aware whether any criminal case has been opened against Tkachenko, though a number of media outlets have already published information to that effect.
It should be noted that in April, searches were carried out at the homes of Maxim Petlin, Chairman of the Yabloko regional branch in Sverdlovsk Oblast, and Yegor Tkachenko, a former activist of Yabloko Youth in Yekaterinburg. The politicians were subsequently questioned by the Investigative Committee but were afterwards released without records being drawn up.
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Posted: June 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Experts told the court that Maxim Kruglov’s posts contained neither assertions about the army’s actions nor hatred
Press Release, 4 June 2026
Photo: Maxim Kruglov during the court hearing of 20 May 2026 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
At the fourth hearing in the case of Maxim Kruglov, held on 3 June, philologist Igor Zharkov and psychologist Veronika Konstantinova gave evidence. At the request of Maxim’s defence, they had conducted a psychological and linguistic expert assessment of the social media posts that subsequently served as the basis for opening a criminal case against the politician.
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Posted: June 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Lev Shlosberg appeals against six-month extension of pre-trial detention. Appeal hearing scheduled for 5 June
Press Release, 4 June 2026
Photo: Lev Shlosberg / Photo by Pskov Yabloko
The Pskov Regional Court will hear appeals lodged by lawyers representing Yabloko Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg — Vladimir Danilov and Vera Kovalchuk — against the ruling of a judge of the Pskov City Court of 27 May, by which she extended the politician’s detention in custody until 21 November.
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Posted: June 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Yabloko joins Muscovites in demanding an investigation into the actions of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has “seized” part of a specially protected natural area
Press Release, 4 June 2026
Photo: Residents of the Strogino district of Moscow and members of Moscow Yabloko during the inspection of 2 June / Photo by Vyacheslav Radchenko
On 2 June, residents of the Moscow district of Strogino, together with Moscow Yabloko, conducted an inspection at Moskvoretsky Park. In the Troitse-Lykovo area, residents have for several years been unlawfully denied access to the Moskva River in violation of the provisions of the Water Code which bans restricting public access to water reservoirs. Under the pretext of improvements to a church, a fence was erected that initially cut off residents’ access to the water first along a stretch of 300 metres and, subsequently, along almost a kilometre. Members of the Bureau of Moscow Yabloko are calling on residents to submit complaints to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigative Committee demanding an investigation into the lawfulness of the Russian Orthodox Church’s actions.
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Posted: June 5th, 2026 under Environmental Policies, Human Rights, Protection of Environment, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Yavlinsky in court: “Maxim Kruglov is a patriot of Russia, there has never been any motive of political hatred in his work”
Press Release, 3.06.2026
Photo: Grigory Yavlinsky and Maxim Kruglov, 2019 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
Today, 3 June, the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow continued hearing the criminal case brought against Yabloko Deputy Chairman Maxim Kruglov. He is charged with spreading “fake news” about the Russian Armed Forces (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) in connection with posts on social media; the politician has been held in custody since 1 October 2025. A chronology of the previous court hearings, at which witnesses from United Russia appeared for the prosecution, is available here and here.
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Posted: June 4th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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‘The crisis of nuclear arms control’: Yabloko hosts a lecture by Academician Alexei Arbatov
Press Release, 3.06.2026
Photo: Alexei Arbatov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 10 June, Yabloko’s central office will host a lecture by Alexei Arbatov, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear deterrence and arms control. The lecture is entitled ‘The Crisis of Nuclear Arms Control’.
Alexei Arbatov is Head of the Centre International Security of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of Yabloko’s Federal Political Committee, and one of Russia’s foremost experts on arms control.
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Posted: June 3rd, 2026 under Conferences and Seminars, Foreign policy, History, Human Rights.
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Yabloko launches fundraiser to pay lawyers for party members who have faced persecution
Press Release, 2.06.2026
Photo: A screenshot from Nikolai Rybakov’s video on VKontakte
“496,000 ROUBLES. That is the amount we need to raise to cover lawyers’ fees for May,” Yabloko Chairman wrote on his Telegram channel on 2 June 2026.
“As you know, repression in the country is growing with every passing day — and it is affecting our friends and colleagues, members of the Yabloko party. Right now, six of our comrades are in detention. Administrative proceedings are under way against a number of Yabloko members. For what? For their convictions. For refusing to accept the actions of the authorities and what is happening in our country. Our colleagues who have come under pressure need good lawyers. But we cannot manage without you,” Rybakov addressed Russian citizens.
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Posted: June 2nd, 2026 under Charity, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Yabloko in St.Petersburg has developed a draft law to repeal the ban on electoral participation for those fined for the “demonstration of extremist symbols”
Press Release, 2.06.2026
Photo: A Yabloko protest action “Stop removing us from elections!” in 2010 outside the Central Electoral Commission building / Photo by Vasily Shaposhnikov, Kommersant
The Yabloko faction in the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly has prepared a draft federal initiative to repeal an unjust ban on electoral participation. Under current law, a person fined for the “demonstration of extremist symbols”, including for publications in the Internet, loses the right to stand as a candidate for one year.
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Posted: June 2nd, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, YABLOKO's faction in St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Sociologist Alexander Sogomonov to give a lecture on the impact of demographic shifts on the future within the framework of the Yabloko Party University
Press Release, 2.06.2026
Photo: Alexander Sogomonov / Photo by the Yabloko Party University
On 9 June, The Yabloko Party University invites all those interested to a lecture by Alexander Sogomonov, Candidate of Historical Sciences and sociologist: “The world in the second quarter of the 21st century: how new ‘generations’ and demographic shifts will affect the values, education, and culture of the near future?”.
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Posted: June 2nd, 2026 under Conferences and Seminars, Без рубрики.
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The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation may restore Nikolai Rybakov’s right to stand in elections before Yabloko’s pre-election congress
Press Release, 2.06.2026
Photo: Nikolai Rybakov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
The complaint filed by Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov in the case concerning the “demonstration of extremist symbols and insignia” has been registered at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. For a post expressing condolences to the family of Alexei Navalny, who died in prison, the Yabloko leader was fined 1,500 roubles and stripped of the right to stand in elections for one year.
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Posted: June 2nd, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026.
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Viktor Kogan-Yasny: Vengeance and Hope
Written for the Yabloko website, 1 June 2026
Photo: Viktor Kogan-Yasny / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
There is such a thing as a politics of vengeance, and there is such a thing as a politics of hope. A politics of vengeance is built on powerful, demonic motivation and energy, and for that reason has tactical chances of achieving its aims. Since there is no good in it, tactical advancement is followed either by ever new phases of vengeance, or by chaos, or by both together. Destruction and loss, and the self-interest of those who extract personal or corporate gain from it — but that, too, is short-sighted and holds no prospects.
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Posted: June 2nd, 2026 under Foreign policy, Governance, Human Rights, Russia-Eu relations, Russia-Ukraine relations, Russia-US Relations, Без рубрики.
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The purpose of elections in Russia today
Alexei Melnikov’s channel on Dzen.ru, 22.05.2026
On 20 September 2026, Russia will hold elections to the State Duma, heads of regions, and legislative assemblies. We use the word “elections”, yet any clear-headed person will surely understand that our elections today — like the political process in our country as a whole — bear little resemblance to the hopes once placed in them, at the dawn of the new Russia.
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Posted: May 29th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Political Parties, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, YABLOKO Against the Parties of Power.
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Court keeps Yabloko Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg in pre-trial detention for a further six months, until 21 November
Press Release, 27.05.2026
Photo: Lev Shlosberg in court / Photo by Pskov Yabloko
On 27 May, Judge of the Pskov City Court Victoria Malyamova granted the prosecution’s application to extend the pre-trial detention of Yabloko Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg until 21 November.
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Posted: May 28th, 2026 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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