Press Release, 4.09.2026

Photo: Yaroslav Shcherbakov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The Chelyabinsk Region Court will hear a claim filed by Artem Kungurtsev, a representative of the Greens party, seeking to overturn the registration of Yaroslav Shcherbakov, leader of Chelyabinsk Yabloko, as a State Duma candidate. It should be noted that Yabloko member Shcherbakov headed the party’s federal list in the State Duma elections (the list was removed by decision of the Supreme Court) and is a candidate in single-mandate constituency No. 188.

The claim filed by Kungurtsev cites so-called copyright infringements allegedly committed by Yaroslav Shcherbakov:

– Yabloko member Shcherbakov posted a video on social media in which Banksy’s famous graffiti “Girl with Balloon” is visible in the background. According to the claim, the original graffiti, showing a girl releasing a heart-shaped balloon, appeared in the US in 2002 and was accompanied by the caption “There is always hope”;

– The same video featured an image of human rights defender and Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov with the quote “The disunity of mankind threatens it with destruction”;

– He posted a video of his speech at the Yabloko Congress, in which he spoke about repression in Russia and the party’s demands for an immediate ceasefire agreement.

It should be noted that the interested parties in the proceedings against Shcherbakov are all the other candidates in the Chelyabinsk constituency: United Russia, A Just Russia — For Truth, LDPR, New People and the Communist Party.

Yaroslav Shcherbakov stresses that the claim has nothing to do with the law or fair political competition, and is clearly a continuation of a politically motivated campaign against him:

“This has absolutely nothing to do with the law. The only reason for filing a claim against me is strong support of Yabloko among the residents of the Southern Urals and our real chance of winning.”

The claim will be heard on Monday, 7 September.

The hearing will be open (anyone wishing to attend may do so) and will take place at the Chelyabinsk Regional Court, starting at 12:00 noon local time (10:00 Moscow time).

It should be noted that on 31 August, courts removed three Yabloko candidates from the elections in single-mandate constituencies in one day: Alexei Akimenko, Neftekamsk constituency No. 6, Bashkortostan, Ayrat Gumerbaev, Naberezhnye Chelny constituency No. 34, Tatarstan, and Anton Paramonov, Tula constituency No. 181. The rulings have not entered into legal force and will be appealed.

On 1 September, another Yabloko State Duma candidate, Artyom Snegovsky, standing in Lyublino constituency No. 198 in Moscow, was detained. A report was filed against him under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, on the so-called “discrediting” of the Armed Forces of Russia, over a 2022 post. Snegovsky was released after the report was drawn up.

125 Yabloko candidates in single-mandate constituencies continue their election campaigns.