Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
On 17 April, Yabloko will host a lecture by the second Chairman of Yabloko Sergei Mitrokhin on “Organisation of Civil Society in Counteracting the Merger of Business and Power”. Sergei Mitrokhin will explain how the oligarchic system affects the rights of Moscow residents and will demonstrate through specific examples how to assist citizens in opposing this system.
Photo: People voting for preservation of their rural settlements at public hearings on liquidation of their settlements in Dubrovichi, the Ryazan region / Screenshot from the video published on social media
The Ryazan District Duma approved a decision on transforming the Ryazan District into a municipal district, that is, for liquidation of rural settlements [and their local self-government bodies]. The document was published on the website of the district administration.
A charity auction was held at the central office of the Yabloko party and online on 8 April. All proceeds will be sent to the families and lawyers of eight political prisoners — activist Pavel Sinelnikov, electoral expert Grigory Melkonyants, leader of Kamchatka Yabloko Vladimir Yefimov, human rights activist Sergei Maryin, journalist and Chairman of Ryazan Yabloko Konstantin Smirnov, tattoo artist Anna Bazhutova, student Dmitry Ivanov, and social scientist Boris Kagarlitsky.
The video with an option of switching in English subtitles
Negotiations on a ceasefire are underway. This is a very complex process in the current situation. There will certainly be intermittences, breakdowns, contradictory statements and explanations. However, the main thing is that negotiations to achieve a ceasefire are, in principle, inevitable and have no alternative.
Unfortunately, the negotiations began very late – they were supposed to begin in late 2022 – early 2023. Then the circumstances arose for holding such negotiations. This would have stopped killing of people and could have saved the future of Ukraine. However, Kyiv categorically did not want this, and the United States and Europe did their best to push Ukraine to continue hostilities. Moscow did not show such initiatives either. Now everything has become extremely complicated, but there is still no other solution.
Photo: Yelena Tulina / Photo by the Novgorod branch of Yabloko
The rally participants unanimously voted for the resolution in defence of Yelena Tulina, a Yabloko member and teacher of Russian language and literature. The rally called for an immediate end to the pressure on Tulina, expressed no confidence in the Head of the Novgorod Region Alexander Dementyev and proposed to build a new school in the village of Trubichino.
On 8 April, Yabloko is holding the sixth charity auction in support of families and defenders of political prisoners. All proceeds from the auction will be sent to the relatives of eight political prisoners: activist Pavel Sinelnikov, electoral expert Grigory Melkonyants, leader of Kamchatka Yabloko Vladimir Yefimov, human rights activist Sergei Maryin, journalist and Chairman of Ryazan Yabloko Konstantin Smirnov, tattoo artist Anna Bazhutova, student Dmitry Ivanov, and social scientist Boris Kagarlitsky.
The Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court has made a decision on the third criminal case against journalist and leader of the regional branch of the Yabloko party Vladimir Yefimov. Yefimov was sentenced to two years in a penal colony under two articles – “demonstration of extremist symbols” and “discrediting the army” (Article 282.4, Part 1; and Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Taking into account the existing sentence in the second criminal case – 1.5 years in a penal colony – the total term of imprisonment was two years. Yefimov is also prohibited from publishing on the Internet and administering web-sites for three years. Vladimir Yefimov’s defense intends to appeal both the sentences, however, next week Yefimov must appear at the Federal Penitentiary Service facility to serve his sentence.
Photo: Konstantin Smirnov at a court hearing via video link / Photo by Vid Sboku
On 3 April, the Ryazan Regional Court upheld the decision of the court of the lower instance to extend the arrest for Konstantin Smirnov, the Editor-in-Chief of the Vid Sboku (Side View) online media and deputy of the Dubrovichi rural settlement from Yabloko, until 30 May. Konstantin Smirnov participated in the hearing via a video conference from the pretrial detention centre.
Yavlinskij, fondatore dell’unico partito d’opposizione in Russia: «Positivi però gli sforzi per il negoziato con Kiev»
Avvenir, 1.04.2025
RAFFAELLA CHIODO KARPINSKY
«Fino all’autunno del 2022, la dichiarazione del nostro partito era una dichiarazione politica». Parte da qui, per il suo racconto, Gregorij Yavlinskij, fondatore di Yabloko, unico partito dell’opposizione rimasto in Russia. «In autunno diventò non solo un’esigenza morale, ma anche politico- militare. Corrispondeva alla nuova situazione strategica al fronte. Le truppe ucraine conseguivano successi a Kharkov e Kherson, la Russia si ritirava. L’Ucraina rafforzava la sua posizione e cresceva l’autorevolezza internazionale del suo presidente. Sarebbe stato allora possibile raggiungere accordi favorevoli, tenendo conto dell’equilibrio dei poteri e, cosa più importante, fermare l’uccisione di persone e la distruzione dell’Ucraina. A novembre, inviai una nota a papa Francesco tramite l’ambasciata vaticana a Mosca. Credevo che l’influenza di una figura neutrale e autorevole potesse svolgere un ruolo. L’iniziativa fu accolta positivamente: il Papa s’impegnò attivamente e fin dall’inizio della guerra non ha mai perso un’occasione per invocare la tregua e la pace. Recentemente si è saputo che allo stesso tempo il capo di stato maggiore congiunto Usa, generale Milley, parlò dell’opportunità militare di concludere un accordo per il cessate il fuoco. Il presidente Biden ha poi espresso preoccupazione per l’elevato rischio di un conflitto nucleare e gli Usa ebbero consultazioni con la Russia. I leader europei, al contrario, chiedevano la continuazione della guerra e la “vittoria sul campo di battaglia”. Ritengo si trattò di un errore di calcolo. Si perse il momento in cui si doveva raggiungere un cessate il fuoco e avviare i negoziati per una tregua. Per questo è stato pagato un prezzo terribile: vite umane e distruzione su larga scala».
Photo: Vladimir Yefimov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
The decision was made on 28 March. Earlier, Vladimir Yefimov, the leader of Kamchatka Yabloko and journalist, was sentenced to two years in a penal colony in his second criminal case for “discrediting the army” (Article 280.3 Part 1 of the Criminal Code). The appellate court reduced the term of imprisonment by six months. Yefimov is also prohibited from publishing on the Internet or administering web-sites for four years. The journalist is currently staying at home awaiting a call from the Federal Penitentiary Service.
Photo: Ksenia Cherepanova / Photo from the personal archive
The Ministry of Justice added Ksenia Cherepanova, the Chairwoman of the Veliky Novgorod city branch of Yabloko, to the register of “foreign agents”. She became the eleventh party member to be added to the register.
Photo: Konstantin Smirnov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
The Sovietsky District Court of Ryazan decided to extend the term of detention for Konstantin Smirnov, journalist and municipal deputy from Yabloko, for another two months. The court took such a decision despite the requests of Smirnov and his defence to change the measure of restraint to any not related to imprisonment.
We issued our first appeal for a ceasefire on 24 February 2022, just several hours after the start of the special military operation. The appeal was addressed directly to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. This was followed by dozens, hundreds and thousands of speeches and appeals — we demanded the cessation of the military actions at different levels and on different platforms. A number of our colleagues sacrificed their liberty owing to their anti-war stance. We appealed to our country’s leadership and our citizens, world leaders and the international community. In autumn 2022 I sent a letter to Pope Francis, requesting his assistance with arranging a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. It has required three years, three years (!) with the loss of so many lives during that time for the issue of a ceasefire to be discussed at the highest level. However, today in the middle of March, when this issue is being discussed directly by the Russian and American Presidents, something that should be welcomed, the prospects are unclear and extremely disturbing.
Those who are unjustly deprived of their freedom have a very hard time in prisons and pretrial detention centres. This is confirmed by the alarming news about the health of Maria Ponomarenko and Lyudmila Razumova. The Moscow and Novgorod branches of our party started helping them. It is in our power to send words of support to political prisoners, give them warmth and hope.
Mass media have reported, citing a lawyer, that Maria Ponomarenko attempted suicide “due to constant bullying by the administration” of the detention facility and is currently on a dry hunger strike. Moscow Yabloko representative Maxim Kruglov is asking the Public Prosecutor of the Altiai Territory, Anton German, to immediately and thoroughly investigate the conditions of Maria Ponomarenko’s detention.
On 18 March, 2025, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation confirmed that the head of the regional branch of a political party has the authority to sign documents to register the nominated list of candidates from the moment of his/her election. The ruling was made at a collegial court session. The victory of Pskov Yabloko ended a nearly two-year dispute in which the courts of general jurisdiction, as well as the Electoral Commission of the Pskov Region, took a deliberately unlawful position.
In late February, a bill “On Responsible Treatment of Animals” was introduced to the State Duma. It gives the right to the Russian regions to independently set the time limits for keeping homeless animals in shelters, after which cats and dogs will be euthanised. The State Duma will make the final decision on the bill based on the opinions of regional parliaments. Discussion of the bill has already begun in a number of regions. Back in 2023 Yabloko called to refrain from violence in society by legalising the killing of animals, now Yabloko appeals to regional deputies with a request to give a negative review of the bill.
Photo: The Constitution of the Russian Federation with amendments of 2020 /Photo by Pavel Lysitsin, RIA Novosti
Today Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov sent an appeal to the President of Russia asking to reject the law on the liquidation of local self-government. Yabloko believes that the new law completely subordinates local self-government to the state bodies, finally turning it into a lower and powerless level of state power, and also widens the gap between government bodies and society, destroying the natural instruments of citizens’ influence on the government.
Today, Yabloko bid farewell to Galina Mikhailovna Mikhaleva, founder and Chairwoman of the Gender Faction of the Yabloko party, Doctor of Political Science, professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities. The farewell ceremony was attended by Galina Mikhaleva’s relatives, friends and colleagues in politics, defence of human rights, academic work, students and like-minded people. Condolences were sent to the party from leaders of European democratic parties, Russian and international human rights organisations, representatives of the global academic community.
Photo: Galina Mikhaleva / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
On the evening of 27 February, Galina Mikhailovna Mikhaleva, founder and Chairperson of the Gender Faction of the Yabloko party, doctor of political sciences, professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities, passed away after a serious illness.
Galina Mikhaleva was an outstanding public figure, human rights defender, academic and politician. She devoted her entire life to the struggle for democracy, equality and women’s rights in Russia.
