13SEP

Ten parties on the Duma ballot, Yabloko excluded

1 min read

12:20UTC

The Moscow City Election Commission's federal ballot for the State Duma election of 18 to 20 September lists ten parties. Russia's Supreme Court cancelled Yabloko's federal candidate list on 10 August and dismissed its appeal a week later.

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Key takeaway

Russia's Supreme Court removed Yabloko from the federal ballot, leaving no anti-war party standing.

The Moscow City Election Commission's federal ballot for the State Duma election of 18 to 20 September lists ten parties, and Yabloko, the liberal party that has campaigned against the war since 2022, is not among them. Russia's Supreme Court cancelled the party's federal list on 10 August and threw out its appeal on 17 August. Yabloko filed a supervisory complaint to the court's Presidium on 2 September, arguing that Russian law sets no shortened election deadline for deciding one.

A remedy with no clock cannot restore a party to a ballot in five days. Meduza counted Yabloko's registered single-member candidates falling from 135 to 119 by 11 September after courts removed sixteen, including six in Sverdlovsk Oblast whose candidacies ended in administrative cases over alleged extremist symbols in old social media posts. Regional lists went ahead in four of the six regions where the party sought seats.

One national ruling took the federal line. The district slate is being thinned case by case, which needs no single decision anyone can be held to. Russian officials had floated an October call-up as early as June, and the generals' request for men waits on this vote.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Russia's Supreme Court blocked the opposition party Yabloko, one of the few still against the war, from the national ballot for this month's parliamentary election. Courts also removed sixteen of its local candidates, though the party still has candidates on some regional ballots.

Deep Analysis

Root Causes

Russia's Supreme Court cancelled Yabloko's federal Duma list on 10 August and dismissed its appeal on 17 August, the two rulings that removed the party from the ten-party federal ballot.

Regional courts then cut its district candidates from 135 to 119 by 11 September, including six removed in Sverdlovsk over alleged extremist symbols in old social media posts.

Sources:Moscow City Election Commission·Yabloko·Meduza

Mentions:Meduza →Russia →State Duma →Moscow →

First Reported In

Update #27 · Russia's rate hold names the fuel shortage

Moscow City Election Commission· 13 Sept 2026

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