Russian courts bar opposition candidates, citing copyright and procedural violations

Udmurtia's top court ruled that Yabloko regional leader Iya Boronina violated Russian intellectual-property law by featuring the 1982 track "Bad to the Bone" in campaign videos, leading to her removal from the State Duma ballot. The decision followed a complaint from an A Just Russia representative who claimed the song could only be purchased in U.S. dollars, which campaign accounts cannot use. Boronina's subsequent appeal was rejected, and she alleges the hearing proceeded without her participation or notice.

Her case is one of dozens of opposition candidates barred in the lead-up to the Sept. 18-20 elections, with 29 Yabloko nominees and several Communist Party hopefuls also excluded. Analysts link the pattern to Kremlin tactics that suppress protest turnout and reward regional officials who enforce central directives. Similar rulings have struck Yabloko from regional lists in seven areas and removed candidates over past social-media posts, foreign stock holdings, or registration errors. The broader crackdown reflects increasing pressure on both liberal and systemic opposition parties ahead of the vote.