Russia bars only party opposing war in Ukraine from parliamentary vote

What the report says

Russia’s Supreme Court has blocked Yabloko, the country’s only officially registered party openly opposing the war in Ukraine, from taking part in next month’s parliamentary elections. The ruling, reported by Al Jazeera on Aug. 10, 2026, upheld a challenge filed by Rodina, a small pro-Kremlin nationalist party, and cancelled Yabloko’s candidate list for the State Duma vote.

According to the report, Rodina argued that Yabloko had received undeclared campaign support, including alleged backing from Western sources. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov rejected the accusations during the hearing, saying there was no evidence and describing the case as an attack on political freedom by rivals trying to remove competition. The court’s decision comes after the Central Election Commission had initially allowed Yabloko onto the ballot.

About 100 supporters gathered outside the Moscow courthouse as the hearing unfolded, and some chanted in protest after the decision. Rybakov said the party would appeal and framed its work around ending deaths and restoring peace. Al Jazeera noted that Yabloko has not won seats in the lower house since 2003 and remains the only liberal party still operating in Russia, where many opposition figures have been jailed, exiled, or killed.

The move matters because it further narrows already limited electoral competition in Russia and removes a formal channel for anti-war voters ahead of the vote.