Yabloko seeks to expand anti-war support ahead of September parliamentary vote

Yabloko, the sole Russian opposition group openly calling for a cease-fire, is contesting the September State Duma elections despite polling at three percent, below the five-percent entry threshold. Leader Nikolay Rybakov argues that even a modest advance toward peace validates their involvement. The party aims to mobilise disillusioned youth, with roughly a third of its 400 candidates under 30, and to capitalise on public frustration over internet restrictions.

It has received backing from exiled figures such as Yulia Navalnaya, though a nationalist party has petitioned the Supreme Court to disqualify its candidates. Recent arrests and fines of Yabloko members, including deputy Maxim Kruglov, underscore the heightened scrutiny the party faces.