Press Release, 6.09.2026

Photo: Anna Cherepanova’s campaign leaflets “For Peace and Freedom” / Photo by Novgorod Yabloko

On 5 September 2026, the Bureau of Novgorod Yabloko lodged a protest against the judicial arbitrariness directed at the party’s Deputy Chair Anna Cherepanova and the unlawful attempts to remove her from the elections.

Novgorod Yabloko states that there has been a gross violation of the principles of justice in the Novgorod Region, aimed at the political persecution of Anna Cherepanova, Deputy Chair of the party, a deputy of the Duma of Veliky Novgorod and a candidate for the Novgorod Regional Duma.

“The goal in this case is to remove the most popular opposition politician in the Novgorod Region from the elections, and it has been decided that any means will be used — means having nothing in common with legality and justice, and admitting no explanation other than the carrying-out of a political order,” the Novogorod Yabloko statement runs.

On 7 August 2026, a judge of the Novgorod District Court issued a ruling holding Anna Cherepanova administratively liable under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (“displaying extremist symbols”), in the absence of  Anna Cherepanova, who was at the time undergoing treatment at a medical recreation centre outside Veliky Novgorod — a fact of which the judge had been notified in advance. Nevertheless, the judge resorted to unprecedented measures of persecution, exceeding the scope of her authority: she sent police officers to the medical recreation centre to serve the summons publicly, in front of dozens of other guests.

As a result of the stress, Anna Cherepanova suffered a hypertensive crisis and was taken by ambulance to Staraya Russa Central District Hospital. Yet neither her absence nor that of her defence lawyer, both for good reason, stopped the judge from first requesting information from the hospital about Cherepanova’s state of health, and then hearing the case on an expedited basis and fining Cherepanova under the article in question, with only the prosecution present. There were no lawful grounds justifying such an urgent procedure for deciding an administrative case. However, no one at the court concealed the fact that the case had been placed under “special control”.

On 24 August, Anna Cherepanova received the first-instance court’s ruling by post. Within the statutory deadline, on 3 September, Cherepanova, who was in the Pskov Region at the time, sent an appeal by post, which her defence lawyer notified the court of on 4 September.

Extraordinary measures followed: in order to hold Cherepanova liable as quickly as possible, a representative of the Novgorod District Court travelled 300 kilometres to collect the letter from the neighbouring region the very next day, crudely interfering in the operations of Russian Post. At the same time, information that the case had been assigned to a judge appeared on the website of the Novgorod Region Court long before the appeal was actually received, which is contrary to the principles of judicial procedure.

The Novgorod Yabloko Bureau states that the obvious purpose of all these hasty actions was to bring the ruling of Novgorod District Court into force as quickly as possible, thereby creating grounds for removing Anna Cherepanova from the elections.

“We believe that in this situation, the Chairperson of Novgorod Region Court is guided not by the law, but by orders from her superiors, which she unquestioningly carries out. Who is giving these orders? One can only guess. Alexander Dronov, Governor of the Novgorod Region? Konstantin Somov, Deputy Governor and former Public Prosecutor General’s Office official? Sergei Shvetsov, Public Prosecutor of the Novgorod Region? Or other individuals who have placed not only ‘the Cherepanova case,’ but also the Novgorod District Court and the Novgorod Region Court, under ‘special control’? Have the courts really become servants of the regional authorities?

Hearing the case in the absence of Cherepanova and her defence lawyer, denying her the right to a fair trial, interfering with her private life and medical confidentiality, and subjecting her to public persecution — these actions violate not only Russian law, but also the fundamental principles of human rights protection recognised by the entire international community.

The Yabloko party is taking part in the elections under the platform ‘For Peace and Freedom!’ We want Russia to be free from fear and political repression, and for human life to be valued in our country, and for human dignity and rights to be respected.

We declare: without an independent judiciary, without equality of all before the law, without the right to effective judicial protection, there can be neither a state governed by the rule of law nor respect for human dignity,” the statement emphasises.

Yabloko demands the following:

1. An end to the judicial arbitrariness against Anna Cherepanova and to the discrediting of the judiciary in the Novgorod Region.
2. That Anna Cherepanova’s case be heard openly, in compliance with all procedural requirements and her rights, by an independent and impartial court.

“We are appealing to Igor Krasnov, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Russia, demanding that he order an internal inquiry into the lawfulness of the actions of Svetlana Esakova, Chairperson of Novgorod Region Court, and other court officials, and establish who is issuing unlawful orders to the Chairperson of Novgorod Region Court, and why the court is carrying them out in violation of the Constitution.

The courts in Russia must be an independent and impartial arbiter, not an instrument of political persecution or an executor of political orders. We will not allow the Novgorod Region to become a testing ground for repressive technologies used against our candidates and deputies. The Yabloko party will pursue justice by every lawful means,” the statement runs.