Is
Modernisation in Russia Possible? Interview
with Grigory Yavlinsky and Boris Titov by Yury Pronko,
"The Real Time" programme, Radio Finam, May
12, 2010
Why are the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations taking so long and so painful? Because they are constantly trying to drag out the negotiations as much as possible. Who is trying? Both the sides. But one side is advancing, while the other, on the contrary, is losing increasingly more territory.
Photo: Viktor Shalyakin / Photo: by the Novgorod Region branch of Yabloko
The Novgorod branch of Yabloko nominated Viktor Shalyakin as a candidate for the post of Governor of Novgorod Region in the forthcoming elections. The conference delegates decided to nominate Viktor Shalyakin, a former military man, for the early elections of the Governor, who knows better than anyone what war and its price are. Viktor Shalyakin advocates a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and an end to the killing of people. Only a peaceful and free Russia has a chance for the future.
Electronic voting is an extremely controversial tool. It has many supporters and many opponents. Some countries have tried to introduce electronic voting in their elections, but then inevitably returned to paper. Today, only the experience of Estonia is virtually the only example of the successful introduction of electronic voting into the electoral system. It is the Estonian experience that innovators refer to when introducing electronic voting at home. This year marks 20 years since the moment when, Estonians were the first in the world to officially vote at virtual polling stations in the local elections of 2005. Since then, electronic voting has been regularly used in Estonia in municipal, European, and national parliamentary elections.
On the evening of 21 June, on the threashold of a sad anniversary of fascist Germany’s attack on the USSR on 22 June 1941, we will conduct screening of Marlen Khutsiev’s film “People of 1941” paying tribute to the heroes and victims of the Second World War and talk about the lessons of that terrible time and the civic responsibility of today.
The Chelyabinsk regional electoral commission has registered the list of Yabloko candidates for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the region. Now all candidates must collect 3,000 signatures from voters in their constituency to get on the ballot. Yabloko’s signature campaign has already started and will conclude on 11 July.
The Yabloko party has completed the collection of books for the library of the village of Novo-Steklyannoye in the Republic of Karelia. In just two weeks of the campaign, more than 450 books were collected, which will be transferred to the library soon.
Photo: Kirill Goncharov and Maxim Kruglov at the office of the Prefecture of the Central Administrative District, Moscow/ Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
The initiators of the action are Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, as well as representatives of the Moscow branch of the party: authorised representative of the regional branch Maxim Kruglov, Deputy Chairman of Moscow Yabloko Kirill Goncharov, and members of the Moscow branch Alexei Krapukhin and Ivan Dorofeyev.
The Anti-Corruption Policy Centre of the Yabloko party is opening applications for the summer online school “Money Laundering in the Crypto Era: Shadow Finance, Technologies, and Systemic Countermeasures”. The school is dedicated to state policies and practices of prosecuting criminal money both in Russia and the international context.
Photo: Izhevsk Pond / Photo by Vyacheslav Bukharov, Wikimedia Commons
The appeal to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Udmurtia was sent on the initiative of Elizaveta Khusnutdinova, a member of the regional Bureau of the Yabloko branch in Udmurtia. Yabloko is requesting information about the quality of water in Izhevsk Pond – one of the sources of centralised water supply for the city of Izhevsk, alongside Votkinsk Reservoir and artesian wells. For many years, the authorities have been unsuccessfully fighting pollution of the artificial water body stretching 12 kilometres. Meanwhile, about a third of Izhevsk’s population drinks water from the pond.
Photo: Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg / Photo by the St.Petersburg parliament Press Service
The Yabloko faction in the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly has prepared and submitted to the St.Petersburg parliament a draft federal law on restoring passive electoral rights for Russian citizens included in the “foreign agents” registry.
According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation (Article 32, Part 2), every Russian citizen has the right to be elected to state and local government bodies. This right can only be restricted for persons declared legally incapacitated by a court or held in places of detention. There are no mentions of “foreign agents” in the Constitution.
Photo: People’s memorial at the site of Boris Nemtsov’s death on Moskvoretsky Bridge in Moscow / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service
An initiative group of 11 people, including Yabloko party leaders Nikolai Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky, has sent an appeal to the Moscow City Duma’s Commission on Monumental Art with a proposal to install a memorial sign at the site of Boris Nemtsov’s death.
Yabloko proposes that South Urals residents support candidates in single-mandate constituencies participating in the elections to the Chelyabinsk Region Legislative Assembly under the slogan “For Peace and Freedom! For the Ceasefire Agreement!”. To participate in the elections, each Yabloko candidate needs to collect more than 2,500 signatures from district residents. The conference of the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the party took place on 12 June.
Photo: Anna Cherepanova / Photo by the Novgorod regional branch of Yabloko
On 14 September, early elections for the head of the region will take place in the Novgorod Region. Anna Cherepanova, Chairwoman of the regional branch of the Yabloko party and candidate in the gubernatorial elections in 2017 and 2022, has called on the Electoral Commission to take measures to counter violations of the law in the upcoming elections. The politician calls for recording such violations as the participation of officials from regional and local administrations in collecting signatures from municipal deputies required for registration of a candidate in the race, and organised transportation of municipal deputies to notaries so that to notarise their signatures in favour of registration of certain candidates. The leader of Novgorod Yabloko also demands the elimination of administrative pressure on deputies, threats and prohibitions on signing for a Yabloko candidate.
Statement by the Regional Council of Pskov Yabloko, 16.06.2025
Photo: Lev Shlosberg’s support group at the court hearing on choosing his preventive measure in Pskov on 11 July 2025 / Photo by Stepan Baranov, Pskov Yabloko
We firmly condemn the detention of Lev Shlosberg on the contrived charge of “discrediting the army”. We believe that Lev Shlosberg’s actions lack both the event and the elements of a crime. His placement under house arrest is an act of political persecution for his incorruptibility, principled stance and independence, and an attempt to exclude him from legitimate political work.
Lev Shlosberg is a well-known Russian politician, historian, journalist, human rights defender, and elected deputy of two convocations of the Pskov Regional Assembly, who for many years has spoken honestly and openly about the problems of the Pskov region and the entire country. He was not afraid to speak with people sincerely and without hypocrisy.
On 11 June, the Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg adopted at third reading a law introducing administrative liability for “incitement to abortion”. This definition could encompass everything from personal conversation to medical consultation. The Yabloko faction in the St Petersburg parliament is categorically against this repressive measure.
Photo: Lev Shlosberg in the court room / Photo by Nikolai Rybakov
The investigation insisted on such a preventive measure for the Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party during a court hearing at Pskov City Court today. The judge also closed the hearing at the request of the investigator and public prosecutor. The preventive measure has been imposed until 8 August. At court, Lev Shlosberg was supported by Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov.
The legendary Soviet and Russian journalist, investigator, playwright and politician was remembered at the office of the party he represented in the State Duma until his death in 2003.
The evening featured speeches by journalist and writer Nadezhda Azhgikhina, Yuri Shchekochikhin’s widow; Novaya Gazeta editor Sergei Sokolov; director Alexei Simonov; Vladimir Mukusev, journalist and presenter of the popular Vzglyad TV programme; Pavel Zaitsev, lawyer and former investigator with the Investigative Committee under the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs; politicians Nikolai Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky and other. Songs under guitar were performed by Yabloko politician Boris Vishnevsky and composer Sergei Nikitin.
Photo: Lev Shlosberg / Photo by the Pskov branch of Yabloko
A criminal case has been filed against Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party Lev Shlosberg for repeated “discrediting of the army” (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) due to his debate with historian Yuri Pivovarov, in which the Shlosberg defended the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
Only 4% of children of immigrants to Russia have been admitted to comprehensive schools after passing the entrance filter introduced for them – a mandatory exam in the Russian language. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote about this figure with some pride on his Telegram channel. According to Vyacheslav Volodin, as of 22 May, 2,868 applications for migrant children to participate in the Russian language testing were submitted, and 498 children (17%) were admitted to the exam. “In the two months of functioning of the new rules, they have proven their effectiveness,” Volodin writes. Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party Maxim Kruglov writes about what the two months of discriminatory rules actually show, and where this laws and further draft laws “on control over migrants” may lead to.
