Press Release, 15.03.2023

Photo: Yelena Kozlyakovskaya and Oleg Voronin

The St. Petersburg branch of the Yabloko party succeeded in registration of two candidates for municipal by-elections in Krasnoye Selo and Yuzhno-Primorsky municipal districts. Elections in these municipal districts will be held in April. The election campaign will be held under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom”, and Yabloko opened fundraising for the election campaign.

Student Oleg Voronin was able to successfully register for by-elections to the municipal council of the Yuzhno-Primorsky municipal district. He is the head of the Youth Yabloko in St. Petersburg and has been a member of the party for almost three years. Voronin worked in two election campaigns – in the State Duma and the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly electoral campaign in 2021 and in the municipal campaign of his party colleague Alexander Makhankov in 2022.

These elections are the first experience of work for Voronin as a candidate, which fell on extremely difficult and dangerous times. Oleg has just received a diploma and could easily start building a career in the defence industry, but he chose a different path. He decided to participate in the elections in order to speak openly with people about what has been happening in the country and so that to advocate for peace.

Yelena Kozlyakovskaya, an accountant for a commercial firm, will run from Yabloko in the by-elections in the Krasnoye Selo municipal district. Previously, in 2021, she worked as a Yabloko election observer.

“When Yelena found out about the announcement of by-elections in her constituency, she did not hesitate to turn to Yabloko as the only party that reflects her views and values. Since 24 February, 2022, Yelena has been actively writing on social networks, directly and boldly assessing the events that are taking place in the country. She participated in the campaign so that, first of all, fight for peace, freedom, human rights,” Olga Tsepilova, Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Yabloko, said.

By-elections in three municipalities of St. Petersburg will be held on 9 April, 2023. In addition to Yuzhno-Primorsky and Krasnoye Selo, by-elections will also take place in the municipality Posyolok Pontonny.