After courts banned an antiwar party from the ballot, opposition politician Ilya Yashin’s allies pick a new weapon: showing up to vote, all at the exact same minute

In Russia, the Peaceful Russia party, led by Ilya Yashin, has announced a new strategy to protest against President Putin's policies and the war. The party plans to coordinate a nationwide voting action on September 20, the day of the State Duma election. The party's statement reads: "We are proposing that everyone who disagrees with Putin's policies vote on the same day and at the same time: exactly at noon on September 20.

This will let citizens express their protest against the war and the dictatorship through legal means. This will be a noon for a peaceful Russia."

The proposal comes after the Supreme Court barred the antiwar Yabloko party from participating in the election. Yashin's party is urging citizens to actively campaign and vote against United Russia. They believe that the more votes cast against United Russia, the stronger the position of the antiwar segment of Russian society will be. Any vote against United Russia, they emphasize, is a vote against the war.

This tactic echoes a similar "Noon Against Putin" protest that took place during the 2024 presidential election. On March 17, 2024, opposition supporters across Russia and around the world gathered at polling stations by noon local time to vote for candidates other than Putin or spoil their ballots. Meduza, the outlet reporting on this story, adheres to strict editorial standards and employs human journalists to ensure transparency and accuracy. Readers are encouraged to contact the editorial team with any concerns about the translation.