Press Release, 23.07.2026

Photo: Anna Cherepanova / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Today, 23 July, Deputy Chair of Yabloko and leader of the Novgorod branch of the party Anna Cherepanova was first accused of “displaying extremist symbols” and then registered as a candidate in the regional parliament elections.

At 4 p.m., an administrative offence report was drawn up against Anna Cherepanova under Article 20.3 Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Directorate for Veliky Novgorod.

It should be noted that under the Law “On Elections,” a registered candidate for a regional parliament can only be prosecuted with the sanction of the regional prosecutor.

The pretext was someone else’s video posted on YouTube which, according to the police, shows an image of Alexei Navalny. Anna Cherepanova had no connection whatsoever to the video in question, she stated in the explanation she gave at the police station.

“We consider the charge brought against her to be groundless and absurd, and reject it entirely,” Novgorod Yabloko stressed. “The sole purpose of this provocation is to prevent Anna Cherepanova, the most popular opposition politician in the Novgorod Region, from standing in the regional parliament elections.”

The authorities understood that Yabloko had every chance of clearing the 5% threshold and getting into the State Duma and regional parliaments, Anna Cherepanova stressed:

“The purpose of the persecution against me and the pressure on my colleagues is clear — to weaken the Yabloko team as much as possible and remove all recognisable figures from the lists. I will fight to the end and defend my case in court. But whatever the outcome of my case, I call on all Russian citizens to support the only party of peace in these elections.”

Anna Cherepanova is the only member of Yabloko’s leadership who has retained the right to stand in elections. It should be noted that this right was previously taken away from Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov (who was fined for “displaying extremist symbols,” also under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Deputy Chairmen of the party Boris Vishnevsky, Vladimir Dorokhov and Lev Shlosberg were placed on the “foreign agents” register. Boris Vishnevsky’s book “Chronicles of a Reborn Arkanar” was added to the list of extremist materials, and Lev Shlosberg, along with another Yabloko Deputy Chairman, Maxim Kruglov, became the subjects of criminal cases under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code and are imprisoned.

Also today, after the report against the leader of Novgorod Yabloko had been drawn up, the Territorial Electoral Commission of Veliky Novgorod registered Anna Cherepanova as a candidate for the Novgorod Regional Duma in Central Electoral Constituency No. 11.

In addition, on 22 July the Novgorod Region Electoral Commission notified the Novgorod branch of Yabloko that it needed to correct deficiencies in its electoral documents. Specifically, it proposed labelling Yabloko’s list of candidates for the Novgorod Regional Duma elections, and candidate Anna Cherepanova, with information stating that she was a candidate “affiliated with a foreign agent”. This information had been received by the electoral commission from the Ministry of Justice the day before.

“The Novgorod branch will make the corresponding changes to the documents, despite the fact that Anna Cherepanova is not in fact such a person and is not a member of any organisations designated as ‘foreign agents’. This is yet another means of exerting political pressure on the party and its candidates,” the regional branch of Yabloko stressed.

Registration of Yabloko’s list of candidates for the Novgorod Regional Duma elections is scheduled for 26 July 2026.

It should be noted that Anna Cherepanova is currently a sitting deputy and head of the Yabloko faction in the Duma of Veliky Novgorod. She was nominated by the Conference of the Novgorod branch of Yabloko as a candidate on the party list and in Central Single-Mandate Constituency No. 11. The list was submitted to the Electoral Commission for certification on 9 July, and for registration on 17 July.