Press Release, 10.10.2025

Photo: Boris Vishnevsky / Photo by Konstantin Lenkov

The Third Cassation Court of St Petersburg overturned the decisions of lower courts—the district, and then the city court — regarding “Boris Vishnevsky’s participation in the activities of an undesirable organisation”. Vishnevsky’s complaint about unlawful administrative prosecution was granted “partially”, the ruling runs. This means that some of the politician’s arguments were not considered by the court.

It should be noted that Yabloko party Deputy Chairman Boris Vishnevsky was found guilty by the Vasileostrovsky District Court on 14 August 2024 of “participation in the activities of an undesirable organisation” (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code) and fined 15,000 roubles. The court deemed that, on 20 December 2023, Vishnevsky violated the law by participating in a live broadcast of a programme by the Golos independent election observers movement, the most well-known election observation movement in Russia (the Russian authorities consider the movement an “undesirable organisation”; the movement announced its closure in July after the movement leader Grigory Melkonyants was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment). Previously, Alexander Yefimov, a Federal Bureau member from the Volgograd Region, was fined for the same broadcast.

Since Boris Vishnevsky has never participated in the activities of undesirable organisations, the district court’s decision was appealed, but St. Petersburg City Court upheld it. Then Vishnevsky went to a higher court — the cassation court — with a complaint against the decisions of the two previous courts. He insisted that the judicial acts were issued “with substantial violations of the law”, the rules for evaluating evidence were violated in the case, and guilt was “not established” at all. Therefore, Boris Vishnevsky demanded not only that the lower courts’ decisions be overturned, but also that the proceedings be terminated.

The court has now sided with the politician in the first part of the demands, but refused to terminate the proceedings. “The case is to be returned to the Vasileostrovsky District Court of St.Petersburg for new consideration”, the ruling states. When the consideration process will begin anew is not yet announced.

It should be noted that Boris Vishnevsky’s defence is being conducted by St.Petersburg Yabloko member Alexander Kobrinsky and lawyer Andrei Chertkov.