Press Release, 21.08.2026

Photo: Yabloko flags with the slogan “Yabloko Stands for Peace!” / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

On 21 August, Sergei Balabayev, the authorised representative of Yabloko’s branch in the Yaroslavl Region and the party’s candidate for State Duma deputy in Yaroslavl single-mandate constituency No. 194, has been issued with a prosecutor’s warning “on the inadmissibility of violating the law”. According to the document, the warning was connected with messages distributed on social media in the party’s name, alleging that unauthorised street protests were being held in Yaroslavl.

We can confirm that the Yabloko party is not holding any street events (rallies, marches, pickets or demonstrations) linked to the forthcoming elections, and has not been calling on citizens to join any such events.

Nothing is more important or dearer to us than the safety, health and freedom of our supporters. We cannot and will not, under any circumstances, put them at risk.

It should be noted that Yabloko, and personally the party’s Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, have repeatedly called on supporters to remain vigilant, comply with Russian laws and not to take part in unauthorised street events. The relevant statements were made on  9 August and 14 August, ahead of the Supreme Court hearings.

It should also be noted that Nikolai Rybakov has twice written to the head of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs demanding an end to the persecution of the party’s supporters — persecution which, we would stress, stems from citizens’ attempts on 10 and 17 August to exercise their right to attend an open hearing of the Supreme Court of Russia. This pressure has nothing whatsoever to do with any unauthorised street events.