Press Release, 25.05.2025

Photo: The action of writing letters to political prisoners in Yekaterinburg Yabloko in April 2025 / Photo by the regional branch of Yabloko

On 25 May, Yabloko held its regular action of writing letters to political prisoners at the office of the party branch in Yekaterinburg. Masked men raided the Yekaterinburg Yabloko office because of a denunciation. There is no connection with the leaders of the regional branch yet, the circumstances are being clarified. According to some reports, the masked men took ten participants of the action away with them.

At the actions of writing letters to political prisoners, all regional branches of the party provid the participants with lists of political prisoners with background information about them. These lists do not and cannot include citizens convicted of terrorism.

Read more about persecution of Yabloko members after the start of the special military operation.

UPDATE 14:55. It is reported that several participants of the action of writing letters to political prisoners were taken to police department No 1 in the Kirovsky district of Yekaterinburg.

UPDATE 20:15. Ten participants of the action of writing letters to political prisoners in Yekaterinburg Yabloko have been released from police department No 1, including the Chairman of the regional branch of the party, Maxim Petlin. Operational actions in the party office were carried out by order of the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which received information of allegedly some unlawful actions at the action of writing letters to political prisoners. All participants were released from the department after giving explanations without protocols of violation.

According to the Chairman of Sverdlovsk region branch of Yabloko Maxim Petlin, police officers checked the information from the denunciation about “extremist activities” in Yabloko. Nothing illegal was found in the party office. Smartphones and laptops were confiscated from the participants. All personal equipment, except for a professional camera and one laptop, was returned. Computers from the party office remain with the police. “The police acted on the basis of a denunciation from our political opponents; it is a great pity that such a practice is becoming a part of Yekaterinburg life,” Maxim Petlin, Chairman of the Sverdlovsk region Yabloko party, commented.