Press Release, 10.04.2025

The team of Novgorod Yabloko met with Yabloko members and activists in Moscow. The Novogord team of Yabloko was represented at the meeting by the Chair Anna Cherepanova, Ksenia Cherepanova, the leader of the Novgorod city Yabloko and the Centre for Anti-Corruption Policies of the party in the region, members of the Bureau of the regional branch Viktor Shalyakin and Andrei Shuvalov, and municipal deputy of the Trubichino rural settlement Yelena Tulina.

Anna Cherepanova, Chair of Novgorod Yabloko, Deputy Chair of Yabloko and deputy of the City Duma of Veliky Novgorod, spoke about the work of the Yabloko faction in the city parliament. Despite the fact that Yabloko is represented by only one deputy, the faction prepares bills on the budget, makes anti-corruption proposals and makes deputy inquiries, including those on the protection of political prisoners. At the same time, Yabloko, despite the presence of five other factions in the Duma in addition to the ruling party, is actually representing the interests of Novgorod residents alone – the rest of the deputies vote in solidarity with the authorities or abstain.

Novgorod Yabloko members are being persecuted for their active work in the Duma and in elections at all levels: Yabloko flags were unlawfully removed from the office, party members receive telephone threats, and public sector employees are threatened with being fired from their jobs. Yelena Tulina, a municipal deputy from Yabloko and a teacher of the Russian language at the Trubichino village school, is under pressure from her employer for being a Yabloko deputy. Ksenia Cherepanova was recognised as a “foreign agent”. Now she is included in two repressive “registers” – a register of “foreign agents” and that of “persons affiliated with the activities of foreign agents”.

However, despite the difficulties, Novgorod Yabloko continues its work, is ready to win elections, protect the interests and rights of citizens and share experience with colleagues in the party.