Irkutsk Yabloko has submitted a second notification for a rally “For a Free Internet” and in defence of Telegram
Press Release, 13.03.2026
Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
Today, on 13 March, the Irkutsk branch of Yabloko has submitted another notification to the Irkutsk city administration for a rally “For a Free Internet” and in defence of Telegram. This was reported by Grigory Gribenko, Chairman of Irkutsk Yabloko and a member of the organising committee for the forthcoming event.
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Posted: March 13th, 2026 under Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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The Federal Penitentiary Service is withholding information about Maxim Kruglov’s prison account, sabotaging his correspondence with the Public Monitoring Commission, and blocking his access to books and newspapers
Press Release, 11.03.2026
Photo: Maxim Kruglov in court on 27 February 2026 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 11 March, Natalia Tikhonova, the lawyer representing Yabloko Deputy Chair Maxim Kruglov, shared several updates relating to her client’s detention in Remand Prison No. 2, Butyrka, in Moscow, where Kruglov is being held on charges of spreading “fake news” about the Russian Armed Forces. According to his defence, the politician has been unable to obtain from Butyrka any information about his correspondence with the Public Monitoring Commission or about his own monetary account at the Federal Penitentiary Service facility. In addition, he has stopped receiving books from the remand prison library and newspapers to which he holds a paid subscription.
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Posted: March 13th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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A search was conducted at the home of Yabloko member Nikolai Markin in the Moscow Region: he was charged with spreading “Fake News” and released on an undertaking not to leave the town
Press Release, 10.03.2026
Photo: Nikolai Markin / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On the morning of 10 March, police arrived at the home of Yabloko party member Nikolai Markin, where he lives with his mother in the town of Ramenskoye, the Moscow region. Police had with a search warrant. The phones of everyone present in Markin’s home were confiscated. Nikolai only managed to inform his colleagues that the warrant referred to the opening of a criminal case under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, known as the article on “fake news” about the Russian Armed Forces. In the afternoon Markin was questioned by investigators, after which the charge was reclassified.
Nikolai Markin, 49, is a Yabloko member, urban heritage defender, and activist. In 2019, he ran as the party’s candidate for the town council. In January 2025, he was held administratively liable under the article on “discrediting” the armed forces (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) for a post on social media and was fined 35,000 roubles.
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Posted: March 12th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Grigory Yavlinsky “2050: Lisbon — Vladivostok. The Future, Politics, The Individual”
Grigory Yavlinsky’s website, 6.03.2026
“First, you know, a new theory is attacked as absurd; then it is admitted to be true, but obvious and insignificant; finally it is seen to be so important that its adversaries claim that they themselves discovered it”.
(William James, Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, 1907)
In September 2025 I set out in my article “There Is Only One Solution” the key tenets of the conversation on the future: the end of an era, the exclusion of mankind from the centre of politics, technology risks and the need for a conscious move towards the future based on universal human values . This work develops these tenets, provides a more detailed line of reasoning on the proposed alternative and addresses the issues which arose during discussions of the September publication. This is a conversation about an idea that hardly anyone is ready to believe today against the backdrop of today’s tragic developments — that there is a positive future for Russia and Europe and the concept of a Big European Project with Man at its centre. Read more »
Posted: March 12th, 2026 under Foreign policy, Russia-Eu relations, Russia-Ukraine relations.
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Yabloko’s Deputy of the Novgorod City Duma Anna Cherepanova urges Russian Ombudsperson to help women political prisoners Yevgenia Berkovich and Nika Novak
Press Release, 5.03.2026
Photo: Imprisoned journalist Nika Novak (left) and theatre director Yevgenia Berkovich (right) / Photo from Telegram channels
Anna Cherepanova, Deputy Chair of the Yabloko party and deputy of the Novgorod City Duma, is demanding that the rights of political prisoners Yevgenia Berkovich and Nika Novak be upheld. She has submitted formal parliamentary inquiries to the Human Rights Ombudsperson of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova, as well as to the public prosecutor’s offices of Irkutsk (where Novak is held) and Kostroma (where Berkovich is held).
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Posted: March 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Chairman of Moscow Yabloko Kirill Goncharov calls on Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to lift the “covid” ban on public rallies in force since 2020
Press Release, 5.03.2026
Photo by Moscow Yabloko
A letter to this effect was sent on 5 March. In the letter, Kirill Goncharov reminds the Moscow Mayor that Moscow is regarded as a modern and dynamically developing metropolis whose residents are noted for their high level of civic and political engagement. Nevertheless, “for the past four years Moscow has effectively operated under a ban on the exercise of citizens’ right to peaceful assembly,” the Moscow Yabloko leader notes. The formal basis for this ban is clause 2.6 of the most recent version of Mayoral Decree No. 68 of 8 June 2020, which prohibits all public events on account of the covid restrictions then in force in Moscow.
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Posted: March 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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“We will tell the truth. Full stop”: Yabloko hosts screening of film about journalist Yuri Shchekochikhin, “And the Ship Sails On”
Press Release, 4.03.2026
Photo: Screening of “And the Ship Sails On” / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 3 March, the Moscow office of the Yabloko party hosted the première of a documentary film by Yulia Mavrina, “And the Ship Sails On” — about Yuri Shchekochikhin, a legend of Russian journalism, a politician, and a member of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma (1995–2003). The screenplay was written by Nadezhda Azhgikhina, Yuri Shchekochikhin’s widow, writer and journalist.
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Posted: March 5th, 2026 under Conferences and Seminars, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights.
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An appellate court upheld the ruling of the St. Petersburg City Court declaring a collection of articles by Yabloko Deputy Chairman Boris Vishnevsky “extremist”
Press Release, 4.03.2026
Photo: Boris Vishnevsky / Photo by Konstantin Lenkov
On 4 March, the Second Court of Appeals upheld the decision of the St. Petersburg City Court, which last November deemed a collection of articles by Yabloko Deputy Chairman Boris Vishnevsky “extremist material”. The book “Chronicles of the Reborn Arkanar” was published eleven years ago.
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Posted: March 5th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Russia is Europe
Grigory Yavlinsky on political prisoners, the 95th anniversary of Mikhail Gorbachev’s birth, and the shared future of Russia and Europe
Zhivoi Gvozd YouTube channel, 2.03.2026
Watch the video on YouTube switching into English subtitles
Mikhail Gorbachev was born 95 years ago, a man who freed everyone in our country from fear and gave liberty not only to Soviet citizens but to many millions of people across Europe. How we made use of the real freedom he gave us is our own responsibility. Gorbachev achieved what no one before or after him was able to achieve: in six years in power, he brought about positive change not only in his own country but also exerted a promising influence on virtually the entire world.
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Posted: March 3rd, 2026 under Economy, Foreign policy, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Russia-Eu relations, Russia-Ukraine relations, Без рубрики.
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Grigory Gribenko, leader of the Irkutsk branch of the Yabloko party, filed a lawsuit against the Irkutsk Mayor’s Office over the revocation of a permit for a rally in defence of Telegram
Press Release, 28.02.2026
Photo: Grigory Gribenko /Photo by Irkutsk Yabloko
On 28 February, Grigory Gribenko, Chairman of the Irkutsk regional branch of the Yabloko party, filed an administrative lawsuit in the Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk against the city administration.
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Posted: March 2nd, 2026 under Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Leaders and activists of Moscow Yabloko laid flowers at the site of Boris Nemtsov’s murder on the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy
Press Release, 27.02.2026
Photo: Delegation of Moscow Yabloko
On 27 February, on the eleventh anniversary of Boris Nemtsov’s murder, members of the Moscow branch of the Yabloko party honoured the memory of the slain politician at the site of the tragedy – the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremilin. Since the horrific crime, this bridge has been unofficially known as the “Nemtsov Bridge”.
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Posted: March 2nd, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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In Moscow, guests at the action of writing letters to political prisoners signed 500 postcards for women prisoners of conscience
Press Release, 27.02.2026
Photo: Participants of the action of writing letters to political prisoners / Photo by Vyacheslav Radchenko
On 26 February, the Moscow Yabloko party held its traditional the action of writing letters to political prisoners, this time the event was dedicated to women political prisoners and timed to coincide with 8 March, Women’s Solidarity Day. Journalists, artists, human rights defenders, activists… mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and girlfriends – strong and courageous women – need support and letters from outside just as much as male political prisoners, noted the event’s organisers and guests.
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Posted: March 2nd, 2026 under Conferences and Seminars, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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Moscow Mayor’s Office denied Yabloko a rally in defence of Telegram due to COVID-19 restrictions
Press Release, 27.02.2026
Ivan Bolshakov, a member of Yabloko’s Federal Political Committee, head of the party’s Analytical Centre, and the party’s representative to the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation, received a response from Moscow Mayor’s Office to the Yabloko request to hold a rally in defence of Telegram in Moscow. The letter, signed by Andrei Zakharov, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Regional Security and Anti-Corruption, denied the rally due to COVID-19 restrictions in place in Moscow since 2020.
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Posted: March 2nd, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Irkutsk authorities revoked their permit for a rally in defence of the Telegram messenger due to the large number of people wishing to participate.
Press Release, 27.02.2026
Photo by Sergei Konkov, Kommersant
Irkutsk Yabloko leader Grigory Gribenko received a letter from Alexandra Yegorova, head of the Irkutsk Administration’s Department for the Implementation of Public Initiatives, effectively denying the permission to hold a rally in defense of Telegram and “For a Free Internet,” which the administration had issued earlier. The reason given was the excessive number of people wishing to participate.
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Posted: March 2nd, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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Yabloko honoured the memory of murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov at the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge and Troekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow on the 11th anniversary of his assassination
Press Release, 27.02.2026
Photo: Nikolai Rybakov laying flowers /Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
Today, on the eleventh anniversary of the assassination of politician Boris Nemtsov, Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, along with Deputy Chairman Vladimir Dorokhov, Federal Political Committee member Ivan Bolshakov, and other Yabloko members, visited the site of the tragedy — the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin — to honour the memory of the slain politician.
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Posted: February 27th, 2026 under Condolences, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights.
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Court keeps Maxim Kruglov in pre-trial detention until 2 April because the politician allegedly planned to spread “fakes” about the Russian armed forces as early as in 2020
Press Release, 27.02.2026
Photo: Maxim Kruglov before the court hearing on 26 February /Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 26 February, the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow considered for the fourth time the investigator’s motion to extend the pre-trial detention of Maxim Kruglov, Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party. The investigation demanded that the politician remain in custody for “up to six months”, that is, until 2 April (counted from the date of his arrest on 2 October 2025). The case materials, however, indicate that Maxim Kruglov had allegedly conceived his “crime” (he is charged with spreading “fakes” about the Russian Armed Forces under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) as early as in 2020 — two years before the corresponding article appeared in the Criminal Code.
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Posted: February 27th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary.
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“Russia will be peaceful, Russia will be happy, Russia will be free. And all of us together with Russia.” Vasily Neustroyev delivered his final statement in court
Press Release, 25.02.2026
Photo: Vasily Neustroyev /Photo by Petersburg Observers
On 24 February, the prosecution requested a 12-year prison colony sentence and a fine of one million roubles for political prisoner Vasily Neustroyev, St. Petersburg Yabloko member, historian and elections observer, on charges of leading an “extremist organisation,” spreading “fakes about the army,” and “rehabilitating Nazism.” Today Vasily delivered his final statement in court. The full text of his speech is here.
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Posted: February 27th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Yabloko's Regional Branches.
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“When making a choice, each person must remain honest with themselves”: Yabloko holds “Four Years After 24.02.2022” gathering
Press Release, 25.02.2026
Photo: Nikolai Rybakov speaking at the gathering on 24 February 2026 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 24 February 2026, Yabloko’s Moscow office hosted a gathering of like-minded people entitled “Four Years After 24.02.2022”. Anyone who wished to attend was welcome to come to the party office, so as not to be alone on the anniversary of the start of the special military operation. The event included a screening of the film “Odna” (“Alone”) by Anna Artemyeva, a documentary filmmaker at Novaya Gazeta.
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Posted: February 25th, 2026 under Conferences and Seminars, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Russia-Ukraine relations, Без рубрики.
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Four years of the special military operation: a way out of the historical dead end must be found
Statement by the Yabloko Chairman, 24.02.2026
Photo: Graves of those killed in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, in the military section of a cemetery on the southern outskirts of St. Petersburg / Photo by Artyom Priakhin, Kommersant
24 February 2026 marks four years since the start of the special military operation. The conflict has reached a profound deadlock from which there is no escape by military means. Yabloko is the only political force that had warned in advance of the consequences of the escalation.
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Posted: February 24th, 2026 under Foreign policy, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Russia-Eu relations, Russia-Ukraine relations, Russia-US Relations, Без рубрики.
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Rally “For a Free Internet!” to be held in Irkutsk on 1 March: Yabloko organisers report reaching an agreement with the Mayor’s Office
Press Release, 24.02.2026
Photo by Sergei Konkov, Kommersant
On 24 February, the leader of Irkutsk Yabloko, Grigory Gribenko, and activist Pavel Kharitonenko met with representatives of the city administration and agreed to the relocation of the rally in defence of Telegram and “For a Free Internet!”.
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Posted: February 24th, 2026 under Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.
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