Press Release, 9.09.2026

Photo: Alexander Kudelkin in the courtroom / Video screenshot

The Leninsky District Court of Yekaterinburg has sentenced Alexander Kudelkin, Yabloko’s candidate for the Sverdlovsk Region Legislative Assembly, to ten days’ administrative detention under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, on “displaying extremist symbols”.

The report against Kudelkin was based on three posts on Facebook* (owned by Meta, whose activities have been declared extremist and banned in Russia) dated 2023–2025. In the images attached to the posts, police identified symbols they deemed to fall under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation.

Before the ruling was announced, Kudelkin said he had already once witnessed the country’s collapse, and that he attributed it to a loss of public trust in state institutions:

“It fell apart because people stopped trusting the state — parliament, the courts, and law enforcement. And now we are observing this situation repeat itself. As a patriot, I am staying in the country, and I intend to do everything I can to prevent the country falling apart again.”

On the same day, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Yekaterinburg found Shana Ogney, a Yabloko candidate for the regional Legislative Assembly, guilty under the same article and fined her 2,000 roubles.

According to Ogney’s lawyer, speaking from the courtroom, the judge rejected the defence’s motion and heard the case in the candidate’s absence. The report against Ogney was based on one of her posts on a social network, in which police regarded an image as displaying banned symbols. As the candidate was not present in court, she was not sentenced to administrative detention.

Kudelkin was detained on 7 September while out jogging. That same day, police detained five other Yabloko candidates for the Sverdlovsk Region Legislative Assembly. Reports under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation were also filed against Shana Ogney, Konstantin Kiselyov, Vladimir Sobyanin, Alexei Kholodaryov and Vladimir Sevostyanov.

Today, Kudelkin and Ogney were urgently summoned to the Leninsky and Oktyabrsky District Courts of Yekaterinburg respectively. Both hearings were scheduled for 16:00.

Administrative liability, once a court ruling under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation enters into legal force, bars the candidate from being elected for one year.

Yabloko is protesting against the court rulings on Alexander Kudelkin and Shana Ogney. The party regards the administrative prosecution of the candidates as politically motivated and linked to their participation in the elections.