Press Release, 29.04.2026

Photo: Alexander Shishlov / Photo by St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly

At a session of the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Alexander Shishlov, leader of the Yabloko faction and Coordinator of the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko party, announced the early termination of his parliamentary mandate.

Addressing the Legislative Assembly of St.Petersburg, Alexander Shishlov noted that he had first addressed the Assembly 36 years ago — in 1990, as a deputy of the first democratically elected Leningrad City Council (the so-called Lensoviet).

Alexander Shishlov took the decision to relinquish his mandate in order to free it up for the next candidate on the Yabloko party list. This will enable a party representative to contest the Legislative Assembly elections in September 2026 as a sitting deputy.

On 24 April, Alexander Shishlov was fined under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences (“displaying extremist symbols”). The party regards this ruling as politically motivated and aimed at preventing Yabloko’s leaders from participating in the forthcoming elections. A similar situation previously arose with Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, deputy of Legislative Assembly deputy of St.Petersburg Olga Shtannikova, and Yabloko members in other regions: leader of Pskov Yabloko and regional Legislative Assembly deputy Artur Gaiduk, leader of Karelian Yabloko and Honoured Teacher of Russia Emilia Slabunova, Yelena Ivanova, Deputy Chair of the Novgorod branch of Yabloko, and Yabloko member from the Novgorod region Anton Kostryukov.

In his address, Alexander Shishlov stated, in particular: “The Yabloko faction has repeatedly introduced draft legislative initiatives and appeals to the State Duma aimed at protecting the constitutional rights of citizens. Yet you — the parliamentary majority [of the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly] — have invariably been afraid even to discuss our proposals. You probably think that the tightening spiral of lawlessness and repression will not touch you. The lessons of history are, it seems, unknown to you.”

“I thank the voters who support the Yabloko party, and I declare that we will stand in the forthcoming elections, that we will fight for the restoration of respect for human rights and dignity in our lives, for the repeal of repressive laws and restrictions on freedom of information, for peace and freedom, for a life without fear,” Alexander Shishlov emphasised.

The full text of Alexander Shishlov’s address is available at this link.

Alexander Vladimirovich Shishlov was born in Leningrad on 28 July 1955. He graduated from the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics (1977) and the Faculty of Law (1994) at Leningrad State University, and holds a Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences degree (1984). He is a member of the St.Petersburg Union of Scientists.

Alexander Shishlov entered politics in the late 1980s. In 1990, he was elected a deputy of the first democratically elected Leningrad City Council (Lensoviet). In 1995 and 1999, he was elected to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the Yabloko party list. He served as Deputy Chairman and subsequently Chairman of the Committee on Education and Science, and was a member of the Federal Assembly’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

From 2012 to 2021, he served as Human Rights Ombudsman of St Petersburg; from 2015 to 2021, he was Vice-President of the European Ombudsman Institute.

He is Coordinator of the Federal Political Committee of the party, a deputy of the seventh convocation of the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly, and leader of the Yabloko party faction. From 2022 to 2024, he served as Chairman of the St.Petersburg branch of the Yabloko party.