Press Release, 29.10.2026

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov at a polling station on 20 September 2026 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov has filed an appeal with the St. Petersburg City Court challenging the ruling of the Vyborgsky District Court, which fined him 1,000 roubles for spoiling his ballots in the elections.

It should be noted that on 20 September, Rybakov voted at his polling station in St. Petersburg, where he spoiled his ballots in an entirely lawful way: he marked every box for the candidates and parties and wrote quotes from the party’s election programme on the ballots (“For Peace”, “For Freedom”, “For a Life Without Fear”, “For a Ceasefire Agreement”). Photos of the ballots were published in the media.

On 9 October, the Vyborgsky District Court fined Rybakov 1,000 roubles under Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, accusing him of some kind of “disrespect for society”. The court ignored all the arguments of the defence (the Yabloko Chairman was represented by lawyers Vitaly Isakov and Leila Abdullayeva) and did not assess them in the reasoning section of its ruling.

Nikolai Rybakov’s representatives are demanding that the administrative proceedings be terminated for lack of the elements of an offence. No date has yet been set for the appeal hearing.