- Russian anti-war party Yabloko has surprisingly managed to win a seat in a regional parliament, despite being largely banned from elections across the country.
- The liberal opposition party secured 6.38% of the vote in the Nizhny Novgorod region on the Volga, gaining a seat in the regional Duma on Monday for the first time.
- The result caused a stir across Russia because the party was barred from standing across almost the entire country after a ruling by the Supreme Court.
- Yabloko's regional organization in Nizhny Novgorod said, "Peace, freedom and a life without fear - these are values that have resonated in people's hearts and souls," and congratulated its regional chair, Anna Cherepanova, known as an opponent of war and an anti-corruption campaigner.
- Experts said the party was likely excluded from the national election because the Kremlin judged it could actually win seats in parliament.
- Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov has positioned the party as the only force campaigning for a ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine, while all other parties support the invasion, which has been ongoing for more than four and a half years.
Yabloko's victory in the Nizhny Novgorod regional Duma is a remarkable achievement for the anti-war party, which has been largely excluded from elections across Russia. The party garnered 6.38% of the vote, marking its first seat in the regional parliament.12
The Supreme Court's ruling had previously barred Yabloko from participating in elections nationwide, making this win particularly significant. The party's regional organization expressed that their message of “Peace, freedom and a life without fear” resonated deeply with voters.345
Anna Cherepanova, Yabloko's regional chair and a known anti-corruption campaigner, played a crucial role in this success. Experts suggest that the Kremlin's decision to exclude Yabloko from national elections stemmed from a belief that the party could potentially win seats in parliament.6
Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov has positioned the party as the sole advocate for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, contrasting sharply with other parties that support the invasion, which has persisted for over four and a half years. This victory could signal a shift in public sentiment towards anti-war positions in Russia.78
“Yabloko secured 6.38% of the vote in the Nizhny Novgorod region, gaining its first seat in the regional Duma. The result stirred reactions as the party was barred from standing almost everywhere after a Supreme Court ruling, with experts saying the Kremlin feared it could win seats nationally.”
