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.

“As a result of monitoring media and the Internet, including instant messaging apps and social media, significant public attention was revealed for the upcoming event,” the document runs. “The monitoring indicates that the expected number of participants who may attend the rally at the site approved based on the [earlier] letter [from the city administration], given the increased number of participants, would pose a threat to the public safety of those attending the public event.”

In light of the above, holding the announced event “is not possible,” the Mayor’s Office stated.

Irkutsk Yabloko leader Grigory Gribenko stated that the organisers are currently taking note of the administration’s letter prohibiting the rally, but consider this decision unlawful:

“Because Federal Law No. 54 does not provide for the revocation of a previously issued permit for a public event, especially based on the authorities’ hypotheses and assumptions. Therefore, tomorrow morning, a lawsuit will be filed in the Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk challenging the administration’s decision, which must be reviewed urgently. If the court rules in favour of the administration, the event will indeed be impossible. This would entail penalties for both the organisers and the rally participants. We place the safety of the participants above all else!”

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov reminds that public attention to a particular social issue is a reason to draw the authorities’ attention to it, rather than suppress public demand:

“The authorities should be happy when many people want to express their civic position. And it is the direct responsibility of officials and law enforcement officers to ensure that people have this opportunity. We will find other legal ways to express our civic position.”

It should be noted that the Yabloko rally in defense of Telegram and “For a Free Internet!” was scheduled to take place in Irkutsk on 1 March. The organisers, Grigory Gribenko, leader of the Irkutsk regional branch of the party, and activist Pavel Kharitonenko, proposed that the Mayor’s Office approve the rally in the city centre, with an estimated attendance of up to 300 people. The administration initially reported that the desired site was occupied, and then proposed an alternative: Konny Island, also located in central Irkutsk.