Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
Photo: Participants of the event of writing letters on 27 November / Photo by Vyacheslav Radchenko
On 27 November, Moscow Yabloko held an action of writing letters to political prisoners – a monthly event where anyone can write a few words to people who are convicted or awaiting trial in politically motivated criminal cases. This time, Yabloko members paid special attention to their colleague and Yabloko Deputy Chairman Maxim Kruglov, who is in a remand prison on charges of disseminating “fakes” about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Photo: Olga Shtannikova / Photo by the St.Petersburg branch of Yabloko
On Thursday, 27 November, a hearing took place at Kalininsky District Court in St.Petersburg on an administrative case concerning “demonstration of extremist symbols and attributes” (Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code). Yabloko MP of the Legislative Assembly of St.Peterburg, Olga Shtannikova, was accused of such an offence. She, back in 2013, reposted on VKontakte a message about an anti-corruption investigation mentioning politician Alexei Navalny.
Photo: Anna Cherepanova (centre) / Photo by the Novgorod branch of Yabloko
On 26 November, a session of the Veliky Novgorod Duma took place, where Yabloko faction leader Anna Cherepanova voted “against” the draft city budget for 2026. She explained the faction’s position by saying that the draft budget for Novgorod causes genuine shock: money is planned to be spent on officials, not on the city. Cherepanova expressed no confidence in city Mayor Alexander Rozbaum and demanded his resignation, which should become the logical conclusion of the scandal over the record increase in salaries for Novgorod officials and Rozbaum himself.
Yabloko invites all its friends to a special evening event – “Valery Borshchev’s Birthday”. This is not a traditional memorial evening, but a new creative format for us, in which we will pay tribute to Valery Borshchev.
Photo: Maxim Kruglov at the hearing on 25 November 2025 / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 25 November, Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky Court extended the arrest of Yabloko Deputy Chairman Maxim Kruglov for a month – until 29 December. Speaking in court, Kruglov’s defence emphasised: the investigation not only did not have a single argument in favour of arrest, but in principle had no reason to persecute the politician. Moreover, the case materials were compiled carelessly, they contained gross errors, and the arguments in favour of arrest did not fit within Criminal Procedure Code norms.
Photo: Konstantin Smirnov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 25 November, Sovetsky District Court in Ryazan once again extended the preventive measure for Konstantin Smirnov, leader of the Ryazan branch of Yabloko and journalist. He is accused of “extortion”, but is in fact being persecuted for political reasons for fighting municipal reform (which is actually reduced to enlargement of municipal districts and, thus, liquidation of many of the municipal councils of the settlements subject of the reform), criticising the regional authorities and publishing anti-corruption investigations. Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov came to court on 25 November to support his friend and colleague. On the eve of the hearing, Eva Merkacheva, member of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, sent an appeal to the court requesting that Smirnov’s preventive measure be changed.
Photo: Iya Boronina, Chair of the Yabloko branch in Udmurtia / Photo from personal archive
Rapid growth in budget expenditure that is not covered by own revenues is the key financial problem of the Republic of Udmurtia, Yabloko experts note. When preparing amendments to the draft law on the regional budget, they analysed both the draft budget law and the explanatory note to it, as well as the forecast of the region’s socio-economic development, the conclusion of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation on the federal budget, and Central Bank data. Over the past three years, regional budget expenditure has grown almost twofold; however, instead of a balanced and responsible financial policy that could reduce inefficient spending and lower debt burden, the regional government continues to increase expenditure, Yabloko states.
Photo: Kirill Goncharov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On 22 November, the Conference of the Moscow regional branch of Yabloko took place. The delegates elected new leaders of Moscow Yabloko Kirill Goncharov was elected Chairman, Yury Shein as Deputy Chairman, and 18 people were elected to the Bureau of the regional branch.
Photo: Yabloko postcards that can be sent to political prisoners / Photo by the party press service
Every month, Yabloko invites everyone to its actions of writing letters to political prisoners — a traditional event that takes place at party offices in Moscow and Russian regions. Here anyone can sign a postcard or write a letter to a person persecuted for political reasons for their words, thoughts or conscientious work. For participants’ convenience, Yabloko regularly updates the schedule of events in Moscow and other cities of the country.
Photo: Lev Shlosberg / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
Yabloko party Deputy Chairman Lev Shlosberg and his defenders Vitaly Isakov and Vladimir Danilov have appealed the sentence in the case of his allegedly “missing ‘foreign agent’ labels”, as Shlosberg saved several videos by other people on his VKontakte social media page without supplying them with his mandatory foreign agent label, which was impossible to do even from the technical point of view. It should be noted that on 5 November, judge of magistrate’s court No. 38 sentenced the politician to 420 hours of community service for keeping five other people’s videos on his personal VKontakte page without his mandatory “foreign agent” labelling. In the appeal against the sentence filed with Pskov City Court, Shlosberg and his defence identify 99 violations committed by the court of first instance.
Photo: Boris Vishnevsky / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
The Yabloko party regards the decision made today by St Petersburg City Court regarding the collection of articles by party Deputy Chairman Boris Vishnevsky, published in 2015, as not based on Russian law.
Photo: Boris Vishnevsky / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
St. Petersburg City Court on 20 November 2025 recognised the collection “Chronicles of Reborn Arkanar”, published in September 2015, as “extremist material”. The book is a collection of articles by Yabloko Deputy Chairman Boris Vishnevsky. It was “written by a true patriot of Russia,” famous actor and Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg Oleg Basilashvili noted in his review when the book was published.
Photo: Veliky Novgorod Mayor Alexander Rozbaum and Duma Speaker Konstantin Somov / Photo by the Veliky Novgorod Duma Press Service
Yabloko Deputy Chair and Veliky Novgorod Duma deputy Anna Cherepanova is demanding that the Public Prosecutor General’s Office investigate the legality of a twofold salary increase for Veliky Novgorod Mayor Alexander Rozbaum and city officials. A corresponding statement has already been sent to the supervisory authority.
On 25 November, the Yabloko party’s central office in Moscow will host a lecture by Sergei Popov, astrophysicist and Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences: “Why do we need astronomy?”. The audience will be able not only to receive a detailed answer to the lecture’s key question, but also to participate in discussion.
Photo: Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov at Yabloko’s seventh Charity Auction in support of political prisoners’ families / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On Thursday, 13 November, Yabloko’s charity Auction in support of political prisoners’ families took place in Moscow. The auction was held both in person and online across Russia. Over almost six hours of bidding, 28 lots were sold: books, paintings, photographs, collectible items, excursions and personal meetings with famous people. The amount collected in one evening was 1,183,000 roubles, however the final results have yet to be tallied, as collection of voluntary donations within the framework of the auction, but outside bidding for lots, continues.
On one hand, constant talk about continuing military aid to Ukraine, but with understanding that their own citizens do not agree with rising taxes and categorically do not wish to personally participate in military action. On the other — justified fear of direct military confrontation with Russia and, as a result, the actual use of Ukraine as a protective buffer and preparation for some “inevitable” war with Moscow in the future. This is the essence of the real European position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The question of preserving people’s lives and the future does not greatly trouble current European leadership. But preserving themselves and their parties in power, and redivision of markets and spheres of influence are quite real interests of leading European politicians. All this at the expense of continuing military action. Therefore, it is unsurprising that even Volodimir Zelensky recently suddenly declared that he “had not seen a European plan” to end the war.
Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov has sent an appeal to St.Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov demanding the installation of a memorial plaque at the site of the murder of St.Petersburg musician and anti-fascist Timur Kacharava, killed by neo-Nazis 20 years ago at the entrance to the central bookshop of the Bukvoed chain on Ligovsky Prospekt on 13 November 2005.
Photo: Marina Zheleznyakova / Photo from personal archive
Primorsky Regional Court in Vladivostok concluded on 12 November consideration of the case on “rehabilitation of Nazism” against Marina Zheleznyakova, Deputy Chair of the party’s regional branch in the Maritime Territory. The jury found her guilty of posting a message with a personal opinion and historical facts on Telegram in 2021. For this, the court imposed on Zheleznyakova a fine of two million roubles with instalments over 40 months. Yabloko categorically disagrees with the court’s decision, and the accusation of Zheleznyakova of “rehabilitation of Nazism” is absurd and inflated from historical facts that until recently could be found in school textbooks, party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov stated. Lawyer Sergei Valiulin, defending Zheleznyakova, intends to appeal the decision.
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin conducts an operational meeting with permanent members of the Russian Federation Security Council on 5 November 2025 / Photo by Gavriil Grigorov, RIA Novosti
The results of the recent meeting of the Russian Security Council, at which Vladimir Putin instructed the government to prepare proposals for the possible start of nuclear weapons testing in response to US President Donald Trump’s statements of 29 October about resuming nuclear tests, provoked wide resonance and many questions. Yuri Paniev, Executive Editor of the NG-Dipkurier paper, turned to Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the IMEMO RAS Centre for International Security Alexei Arbatov for clarification. Academician Arbatov is a member of the Yabloko party Federal Political Committee.
Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, in an interview with the largest Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, spoke about Russians’ fatigue with military actions, the possibility of escalation, the return of Stalinism, and Yabloko’s possible participation in the State Duma elections.
