Decision of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko adopted on 2 December 2025, published on 10 December 2025

The duration of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine will soon exceed the 1,418 days of the Great Patriotic War [the war fought by the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany from June 22, 1941 (German invasion) to May 9, 1945 (German surrender), forming the Eastern Front of World War II ]. For the first time since its conclusion, intensive military operations are taking place in Europe, leading to the deaths of enormous numbers of people and large-scale destruction.

The awareness of the consequences of the catastrophe of World War II and the construction of a system of inter-state and intra-state relations in which human life is the highest value have, eighty years later, been replaced by the erosion of universal human values from world politics, and by the inability of many world leaders, including European ones, to engage in professional substantive discussion and resolution of the most important problems in the interests of humanity.

At the same time, the international institutions created after World War II have proved incapable of preventing or resolving the acute crisis situations of recent years.

The system of treaties on the limitation and control of nuclear weapons has come under threat, followed by the non-proliferation regime. The danger of nuclear confrontation is growing.

States increasingly see the guarantee of their security in the build-up of military force, but a new arms race will not only deplete resources that could have been directed towards peaceful development and prosperity, but will lead to increased tension in the world – which in turn will result in an even greater increase in military expenditure, and then onwards in an expanding spiral.

Moreover, prolonged military conflicts lead not only to the “banalisation” of military operations, but also to an expansion of the circle of those who benefit from their continuation.

With Donald Trump’s becoming US President, talk of the necessity of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has resumed, but has essentially not been supported by Ukraine’s leadership, European leaders, or Russia’s leadership.

How can we preserve human lives in present conditions, and, indeed, civilisation itself?

The main thing, in our view, is to return humanity to the centre of politics – human life, freedom, rights and dignity.

The answer to today’s challenges is as follows:

– subordinate all structures of the state and all mechanisms, including information technologies and artificial intelligence, to the interests of humanity;

– understand that the meaning of the future lies neither in territories nor in money, but in the free, dignified and secure lives of people;

– recognise that if politics leads to the deaths of people, and technological development does not serve human interests, then critical miscalculations have been made and it is necessary to change the direction of policy.

This is a very difficult task, but if we do not even attempt to solve it, negative consequences are inevitable.

Understanding this, it is necessary to envisage the prospect of Russia’s new European integration – as a path towards creating a state whose main goal is the full and comprehensive realisation of human potential, human development and the protection of human dignity. In this sense, rapprochement with European countries is necessary for Russia as a value orientation, an image of the future capable of uniting Russian society, fragmented and traumatised by the events of the past 110 years.

At today’s level of relations between Russia and many European countries, this may seem to some like groundless fantasy. However, the alternative is a new arms race, the filling of Europe with nuclear weapons, the mining of the EU’s eastern borders and the formation of a buffer zone between Russia and Europe in the form of a Ukraine destroyed by war.

It is necessary to return to the idea of Europe “from Lisbon to Vladivostok”, which began to be discussed as far back as Mikhail Gorbachev’s time, when the Cold War was ending. Then it was largely just an attractive proposal, but today there is no other substantive solution in which there would be prospects both for Russia and Europe. Russia is a European country, and neither should it see an enemy in the countries of Europe, nor should the countries of Europe see an enemy in Russia.

As an anti-war party professing humanistic values, Yabloko can become an important element in the restoration and development of trust between Russia and Europe in a situation where it is precisely the deficit of trust that stimulates confrontation and creates the threat of nuclear war.

It is Yabloko today that expresses the aspiration towards peace, towards the restoration of Russia’s ties with the world’s democracies. Yabloko has no competitors in Russia’s contemporary political field on this agenda.

Yabloko’s position on the necessity of a ceasefire is gaining ever greater support today. And support for Yabloko in Russia will grow – because of falling living standards and rising fatigue with the special military operation.

A demand for change is ripening in Russian society today.

Freedom of information and the possibility of contacts via the Internet are being increasingly restricted. A significant portion of citizens disagree with the limitation of these personal freedoms, whilst the younger generation perceives the blocking of social networks and messengers as negative interference in their lives.

The continuing special military operation, economic problems, and the ever-growing difficulties faced by our compatriots create the grounds for growing discontent with the current situation. At the same time, the authorities have neither answers to the most pressing questions nor any conception of Russia’s prospects or future.

In this situation, the question of where the accumulating energy will be directed is of critical significance – towards solving the real problems that are the cause of discontent, or towards emotional agitation of people and the inflation of populist bubbles.

We realise how difficult it is to conduct political and party work in today’s Russia, where repressive laws operate, law enforcement agencies have been removed from society’s control and independent justice is absent.

The necessity of ensuring the safety of party members, preserving the party and working for the future, when our ideas and values will be able to become the foundation for the country’s development, makes it important not to give grounds for political persecution, whilst not abandoning our principles for the sake of opportunistic advantages.

Our task is to stand for the direction connected with European values and the protection of human rights, to ensure the advancement into the future of this direction, the essence of which is people at the centre of the political agenda.

In today’s Russia, Yabloko is an alternative not only to the current system (although this too is very important), but also to communist and nationalist populism.

To achieve our goals, such as a ceasefire, we consider interaction with the current authorities (who have a certain degree of public support) to be possible. At the same time, the preservation of our views on fundamental questions is an essential condition.

We categorically do not share the position of those emigrated politicians and journalists who dream of Russia’s military defeat.

We advocate for new European integration despite the fact that current European leaders reject Russia.

All this makes our work particularly difficult, and we often fail to find understanding even amongst those who disagree with the current course.

Yabloko is an alternative choice for the future, protecting Russia from falling into the abyss of national populism, from the possible prospect of fascism, national catastrophe and the country’s disintegration.

Our work is necessary because what is at stake is people’s lives, the fate of our compatriots, and the future of our country.

Despite all the threats and dangers, we shall continue our work for the future.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chairman of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee