St. Petersburg court fines Nikolai Rybakov 1,000 roubles
Press Release, 9.10.2026
Photo: Nikolai Rybakov at a polling station on 20 September 2026 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 9 October, the Vyborgsky District Court of St. Petersburg fined Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov 1,000 roubles under Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (“petty hooliganism”). He was, in effect, penalised for exercising his legal right to spoil his ballot in the September elections, from which Yabloko’s federal list had suddenly been removed despite having been registered.
It should be noted that on 20 September, Rybakov voted in the elections to the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly and the State Duma, spoiling all four of his ballots. Photos of the ballots, bearing the main demands of Yabloko’s programme (“For Peace”, “For Freedom”, “For a Life Without Fear”, “For a Ceasefire Agreement”), were published in the media.
Rybakov’s representatives Leila Abdullayeva and Vitaly Isakov had demanded that the case be dismissed for lack of the elements of an offence.
Posted: October 15th, 2026 under Elections, Elections to the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2026, State Duma Elections, State Duma Elections 2026, Без рубрики.