Press Release, 6.07.2026

Photo: Anatoly Sidakov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Two administrative offence protocols have been drawn up under Article 13.15 Part 2.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (distribution of materials without indicating foreign agent status) against Anatoly Sidakov, founder of North Ossetian Yabloko and editor-in-chief and publisher of the newspaper Mir Kavkazu (Peace to the Caucasus).

Mir Kavkazu, in addition to covering news from the republics of the North Caucasus, regularly publishes materials from the Yabloko party.

According to Sidakov, the administrative offense protocols were drawn up over two publications on the second page of the newspaper’s December 2025 issue, which mentioned individuals included by Russia’s Ministry of Justice on the register of “foreign agents”.

These were in an interview given by Grigory Yavlinsky, Chair of the party’s Federal Political Committee, to journalist Alexei Venediktov, without indicating the latter’s “foreign agent” status, and a speech by Ivan Bolshakov, Head of the party’s Analytical Centre, in which he mentioned Yabloko Deputy Chair Lev Shlosberg, also without the corresponding label of Shlosberg’s status.

Article 13.15 Part 2.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences provides for an administrative fine of 2,000 to 2,500 roubles for citizens, 4,000 to 5,000 roubles for officials, and 40,000 to 50,000 roubles for legal entities.

Anatoly Sidakov is 86 years old. He is the founder and first Chair of the North Ossetian regional branch of Yabloko, a human rights defender, a member of the board of the United Caucasian Human Rights Defenders’ Forum, and served on the party’s federal Bureau from 2015 to 2019. Sidakov has been editor-in-chief and publisher of Mir Kavkazu since 2011; the newspaper is distributed throughout all the republics of the North Caucasus.