Russia’s highest court ordered on Monday that the only political party opposing the Kremlin’s military action in Ukraine must be removed from next month’s parliamentary ballot.
The Supreme Court annulled the registration of Yabloko, which translates to “apple” in Russian, following an appeal filed by a pro-Kremlin party. Previously, the Central Election Commission had permitted Yabloko on the ballot alongside 10 other parties last month.
Yabloko, once a prominent liberal voice in parliament and frequently critical of the government, subsequently lost its bloc of seats as the Kremlin solidified its control over Russian politics.
In recent years, Yabloko stood as the sole registered opposition party that opposed deploying troops into Ukraine.
The party's campaign slogans included “For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!”, “Our goal is to prevent nuclear war!”, and “For a Russia free from fear and political repressions!”.
Several Russian opposition figures living abroad encouraged voters to support Yabloko, including Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and politicians Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza.