The head of Yabloko has been fined for anti-war messages written on ballot papers.

The Vyborgsky District Court of St Petersburg has fined the head of the Yabloko party, Nikolai Rybakov, 1,000 roubles (approximately US$11) under the article on petty hooliganism (Part 1, Article 20.1 of the Administrative Offences Code). Mediazona reports.

The charge was brought over four ballot papers that Rybakov filled out during the State Duma elections on 20 September. The politician wrote the party’s name and the phrases: ‘for peace,’ ‘for freedom,’ ‘for a ceasefire agreement’ and ‘for a life without fear’ on them. Police claimed that the party leader in this way ‘showed disrespect to society’ and damaged ‘state property.’

Rybakov himself told the court that he did not consider the ballots spoiled and that this was an expression of his civic stance.

• From 18 to 20 September, elections to the State Duma, as well as regional and municipal elections, were held across Russia. Yabloko, which maintained an anti-war stance, was initially registered—but then removed from the ballot after a lawsuit from the pro-Kremlin party ‘Rodina.’ Party candidates were also disqualified regionally: in Chelyabinsk Region, a major industrial area in the Urals, all five of Yabloko’s State Duma candidates were barred, in part due to alleged copyright issues involving Banksy’s work and a quote from Sakharov.

• According to OVD-Info and the Elections-2026 project, 590 reports of pressure on voters, observers and candidates were recorded during the election period, 409 of which occurred on the days of voting.