Yabloko Leader Fined Over Anti-War Slogans on Duma Ballots
A St. Petersburg court fined Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov 1,000 rubles ($11.80) for disorderly conduct on Friday, Oct. 9, after he wrote four anti-war slogans on his ballots during the September State Duma elections. The ruling comes amid heightened state pressure against Russia’s sole registered anti-war party, whose candidates were barred from lower house party lists in a contest that…
Nikolai Rybakov, the chairman of the Russian opposition party Yabloko, has been fined 1,000 rubles ($11.80) for writing anti-war slogans on his ballots during the recent State Duma elections. The Vyborgsky District Court in St. Petersburg found Rybakov guilty of disorderly conduct, accusing him of ignoring society's interests and breaking public order.
Rybakov and his legal team argued that his actions constituted a form of political expression under Russian law, similar to the 900,000 other voters who invalidated their ballots. This fine is part of a broader crackdown on Yabloko, the only officially registered political organization advocating for peace during the 2026 parliamentary elections.
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