Kenneth Glad
Police made arrests outside a politically sensitive hearing in central Moscow. The proceedings come weeks before voters are due to choose a new parliament.
At least 35 people were detained near Russia’s Supreme Court as Yabloko, a liberal Russian opposition party that has called for an end to the war in Ukraine, appealed a ruling excluding its federal candidate list from September’s State Duma election, according to Romanian outlet Digi24.
The August 10 exclusion followed a case brought by the Rodina party. Among the grounds cited were donations to Yabloko from people who had earlier received transfers from abroad. Rosfinmonitoring data valued the contributions at 16,900 rubles.
Yabloko has made opposition to the war central to its 2026 campaign. In a resolution, the party describes the September parliamentary vote as the first held during the current armed conflict and presents itself as advocating peace and political freedoms.
The party appeals its exclusion
Judge Vladimir Zaitsev is considering the party’s challenge. His previous cases include a 2018 ruling concerning Alexei Navalny’s exclusion from the presidential election.
According to Russian Supreme Court records, Zaitsev chaired the appellate panel that on February 12, 2026 upheld a November 2025 ruling designating the US-registered nonprofit Anti-Corruption Foundation, Inc. as a terrorist organization and banning its activities in Russia.
While the Yabloko hearing proceeded, supporters gathered near the courthouse. Moscow branch leader Kirill Goncharov said detainees were taken to the Khamovniki and Arbat police stations and argued that the arrests lacked legal justification.
Detentions spread outside court
One detainee, Viktor Balabanov, is a 73-year-old actor who had been nominated as a Yabloko State Duma candidate. He had arrived in connection with the proceedings as a prospective witness, Digi24 writes.
The rights project Slovo Zashchetei said, according to Meduza, that officers were trying to move supporters away from the building and reported that Yabloko activist Evgenia Titova had also been detained.
The Supreme Court press service said members of the public could attend the hearing, although no livestream would be provided.
Sources: Digi24, Yabloko, Russian court records, Meduza
