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.

The rally is planned at Ploshchad Truda, near the circus, on 29 March. The expected number of participants is under 900.

This number of participants was not chosen arbitrarily, it is three times the number declared in the first notification for the rally for the 1 March. On that occasion the city administration first approved (https://eng.yabloko.ru/37459-2/) and then refused permission (https://eng.yabloko.ru/37504-2/ ) for the rally, citing the enormous public interest, and warned the organisers that enthusiasm for Internet freedom among Irkutsk residents was running too high.

The approval for the 1 March event was withdrawn on the grounds of “significant public attention to the forthcoming event” and the “impossibility of ensuring safety.” Grigory Gribenko subsequently took the matter to court (https://eng.yabloko.ru/37525-2/), arguing that the city administration had effectively invented a pretext to cancel the rally without lawful grounds. The court, predictably, ruled in favour of the administration. Gribenko is now preparing an appeal against the district court’s ruling, with the support of lawyer Alexander Kobrinsky.

“The organisers have taken into account the previous ‘objections’ from the Irkutsk city administration, and the declared number of participants now stands at 900,” the Irkutsk branch of Yabloko stated.

“The administration is expected to prepare its response at the beginning of next week.”

It should also be noted that in the notification submitted on 13 March, Grigory Gribenko is listed as the person responsible for ensuring safety at the 29 March event. This means that, should the city administration approve the rally, the leader of Irkutsk Yabloko will take on the role of liaison with law enforcement — since, under the Law on Public Events (No. 54-FZ), responsibility for ensuring safety at any approved public event rests directly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.