Press Release, 19.03.2026

Photo: Sergei Muratov, member of the Federation Council of Russia representing the legislative (representative) body of state authority of the Kurgan Region / Photo by Dmitry Lebedev, Kommersant

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov has sent a letter to Public Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Gutsan demanding a legal assessment of a statement made by Federation Council member Sergei Muratov. The Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Defence and Security publicly declared his intention to “mobilise the entire defence-industrial complex” to vote for the candidate from the ruling United Russia party in the upcoming State Duma elections.

In an interview with the URA.RU media, the senator, representing the Kurgan Region in the Federation Council, said he intended to use local defence industry enterprises to secure victory for the head of the regional United Russia branch, Alexander Iltyakov.

“For me, as Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security, this is a direct obligation. The entire defence industry will stand behind him. We will do everything to ensure United Russia wins,” Muratov told URA.RU.

In Yabloko’s leader’s view, such statements are impermissible and contrary to the fundamental principles of electoral law.

“I believe that Senator Muratov’s remarks, made with reference to his official position and sphere of influence, indicate his intention to exploit administrative resources and the dependent status of defence-industrial complex employees in order to influence how they vote. The Senator’s words may be regarded as evidence of planned unlawful conduct. Should such actions be carried out, they would constitute a threat to the constitutional order, undermine public trust in the institution of elections, and effectively nullify the principle of free and voluntary voting,” Rybakov said.

In his letter, Rybakov emphasises that Muratov’s statements contravene a number of provisions of current legislation: Article 3 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which proclaims the people as the sole source of power, exercised through free elections; Federal Law No. 67-FZ, which contains an explicit prohibition on coercing voters into voting for a particular candidate (Article 48) and restricts campaigning by persons holding public office; and Article 141 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for liability for obstruction of the free exercise of electoral rights, including coercion to vote.