Press Release, 6 March 2026

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov, Vera Grachyova, Veronika Antimonik, Nadezhda Azhgikhina, and Marina Kleshchyova / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

In establishing the Galina Mikhalyova Prize, Yabloko set a simple but important goal: to make visible the work towards genuine equality that so often goes unnoticed, as party Сhairman Nikolai Rybakov emphasised:

“In Russia, thousands of women face discrimination every day — from a glass ceiling in their careers to violence. Overcoming all these problems requires not only courage and resilience, but selfless and systematic work. For Yabloko, supporting women is a matter of human rights and basic fairness. When a woman is protected by law, has equal opportunities for self-realisation, and feels safe, the whole of society benefits. This is what Galina Mikhaleva always reminded us of. I congratulate all the winners of our Prize and hope that together we will be able to build a society in which every person is valued and respected.”

Category: Leadership and Public Service

This year this category was awarded to two laureates — a symbilic outcome, given that leadership implies not only the ability to unite people and inspire them, but also the capacity to recognise the defining qualities of those around one, draw on those qualities in public work, and offer help, sometimes in situations whose cruelty and injustice defy comprehension.

Photo: Vera Grachyova / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The first award in this category was presented to Vera Grachyova, head of the Alternativa movement. The significance of her work is measured in lives saved, fates preserved, and families reunited. Alternativa’s mission is to combat all forms of modern slavery: forced labour, including child labour, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, human trafficking, forced marriages, and the selling of wives.

Thanks to the selfless work of Vera Grachyova and her team, victims of human trafficking have been able to return from slavery to ordinary life, reclaiming their names, their dignity, and their right to a home.

The struggle waged by Vera Grachyova and her team against crimes committed against women, girls, men, and boys is, the jury emphasised, a defence of the very essence of humanity.

Photo: Emilia Slabunova / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The second award in this category was presented to Emilia Slabunova, the third Chair of the Yabloko party, leader of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of Karelia, and Honoured Teacher of Russia. Her life and career constitute virtually a textbook of the struggle for equal rights. The Galina Mikhaleva Prize jury recognised Emilia Slabunova’s many years of political leadership, her uncompromising defence of civil rights, and her promotion of the idea of equality between women and men.

Emilia Slabunova does not merely embody the ideals that Galina Mikhaleva stood for, she is herself a point of reference for several generations of politicians: both those who know the cost of rebuilding a country after devastating upheaval, and the young people now entering political life with the intention of working towards a more humane society.

Category: Organisation / Institution

The prize was awarded to the Bezopasny Dom (Safe Home) Foundation, which carries out preventive work with vulnerable groups and provides assistance to victims of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and violence. The jury noted that the Foundation’s work is built on the daily, painstaking, and patient efforts of a team that restores dignity and brings warmth to everyone in its care. The protection of human dignity can and must be professional and consistent — and this is what the Bezopasny Dom Foundation demonstrates every day.

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov and Veronika Antimonik / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The award on behalf of the winning organisation was accepted Veronika Antimonik, programmes coordinator of the Bezopasny Dom Foundation.

Category: Education and Culture

The prize was awarded to Yelena Lukovitskaya, Candidate of Psychological Sciences and associate professor at the Novgorod branch of RANEPA. She bridges academic scholarship and everyday life, ensuring that research becomes a foundation for changes that improve the quality of life for society as a whole. The jury highly commended Yelena Lukovitskaya’s scholarly work, her contribution to gender education and the struggle against discrimination, and her efforts to eradicate gender stereotypes in society.

Photo: Yelena Lukovitskaya / Photo by Novgorod Yabloko

By creating an educational environment free from prejudice, Yelena Lukovitskaya is laying the foundations for future generations — one in which is that gender equality is not a subject of dispute but a norm, where every person has a voice and the courage to listen to others.

Category: Human Rights Practices

The prize was awarded to the Mama-Dom Charitable Foundation (Mother-Home), led by Lyudmila Nabiryonkova. The Foundation’s crisis centre is the only facility in Karelia for women with children who find themselves in crisis facing seemingly insurmountable problems: domestic violence, the loss of housing and a means of livelihood, threats, and the relentless, crushing fear for their own lives and the lives of their children. In such situations, women and their children need a safe space, support, and access to psychological and legal assistance from competent and compassionate professionals.

Photo: Lyudmila Nabiryonkova / Photo by the Mama-Dom Foundation

The Foundation’s task in these circumstances is not merely to provide shelter in which to wait out the storm, but help women find independence, self-belief, and a sense of stability. For many years the Foundation has fulfilled this task with distinction, and as a result hundreds of children and their mothers have not only stayed together but been given the chance to live on — in love and safety.

This prize is not simply a gesture of recognition, but a continuation of the dialogue that Galina Mikhaleva conducted throughout her life, as Olga Radayeva, First Deputy Chair of the Yabloko Gender Faction and a member of the Jury, observed:

“Gender equality has nothing to do with a ‘war of the sexes,’ as some would have it. It is a discussion on justice, dignity, and the right of every person to live without fear — the right to protection, choice, equal rights that are not only on paper, leadership, and a voice in society. This is what Galina Mikhaleva fought for throughout her life. Our prize — and it is truly ours: our party’s, our organisers’, our laureates’, and our supporters’ — is a way of saying ‘thank you’ to those who fight for equality. It is clear to us that equality begins with believing in one’s own worth and one’s significance to society. Without genuine equality and women’s contribution to the development of society and the economy, the country cannot develop properly. And the first laureates of the first prize named after Galina Mikhaleva are, without question, of immense value and importance to Russia. We want everyone to know about their work, and we want such initiatives and projects, which are vital to society and to the country, to grow, develop, and multiply.”

Nadezhda Azhgikhina, journalist, writer, and member of the Jury, expressed her conviction that the establishment of a new prize in the field of citizens’ rights protection is a landmark event, intended to honour those who defend women and the very idea of gender equality as a foundation of democracy:

“Today this matters especially. An unbending liberal, a brilliant scholar, and a vibrant political figure, Galina Mikhaleva devoted her talent and her energy to combating the discrimination and humiliation of women. She fought for genuine, not merely declaratory, equality of rights and opportunities in our society. Many people across our vast country continue that work today. It is their selflessness, professionalism, and talent — their service to people and their welfair — that this prize recognises. I believe it will have a long and happy history.”

Yulia Ostrovskaya, lawyer, research fellow at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and member of the Jury, noted in turn that the establishment of the Galina Mikhaleva Prize and the recognition of its laureates and their work should inspire many other researchers and human rights defenders to persevere — not merely in the cause of combating discrimination, but in a mission:

“Russia is home to a great many women’s initiatives aimed at addressing social problems, advancing equality, and protecting women’s rights. The establishment of a dedicated prize is, on the one hand, an acknowledgement of the importance and the demand for such work and, on the other, a potential source of inspiration for other initiatives.”

Olga Zdravomyslova, sociologist, Vice-President of the Raisa Maximovna Gorbacheva Club (The Gorbachev Foundation), and member of the Jury, drew attention to the fact that the Prize is also an act of public declaration:

“The Galina Mikhaleva Prize is an important undertaking. It is a tribute to a Russian public figure. It is an opportunity to speak publicly about those who, believing in Russia’s future, stand up for the idea and the practices of equality between women and men.”

The launch of the first Galina Mikhaleva Prize “For Achievements in the Struggle for Gender Equality” took place at the Yabloko party office in Moscow on 5 March. We thank all the laureates who were able to attend in person, and we extend our understanding and respect to those who were unable to be present owing to demanding work schedules in their regions. We congratulate all women on the approaching International Day of Women’s Solidarity, and wish every human rights initiative in the country prosperity, strength, and success in the struggle against discrimination.