Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told the Washington Post that he does not consider Yabloko, a party advocating for an end to the war with Ukraine, to be a political force, calling it 'no more than a cell.' Peskov denied that the Kremlin is running a campaign against anti-war politicians ahead of September's Duma elections. Yabloko has faced registration hurdles, including being barred from the St. Petersburg legislative assembly election and over a dozen candidates banned for displaying images of deceased opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told the Washington Post that the Yabloko party, which campaigns on a platform of ending the war with Ukraine, is not a full-fledged political force and is 'no more than a cell.' He denied that the Kremlin is running a campaign against anti-war politicians ahead of the September Duma elections, saying that 'those who break the law face pressure, while those who do not are free to express their views.' Yabloko has recently encountered multiple obstacles during the election season. On July 24, the party was not allowed to register for the St. Petersburg legislative assembly election after the election commission found the signature on its financial report insufficient. Additionally, over a dozen Yabloko candidates have been barred from federal and regional elections due to allegations of displaying 'extremist symbols' — specifically for publishing images of deceased opposition politician Alexei Navalny. In Karelia, there is a legal push to cancel the party's candidate list. The developments underscore the challenges faced by Russia's remaining opposition voices as the war in Ukraine continues.
- DevelopingZelensky says no war with Belarus 'for now', hails relay station shutdown
- StrongKremlin Confirms Talks With Turkey on S-400 Future, Peskov Calls Issue 'Extremely Sensitive'
- DevelopingReport: Zelensky Invited Abramovich to Kyiv to Facilitate Direct Talks with Putin — No Response from Kremlin
- DevelopingPutin presses Lukashenko to join Ukraine war, Belarus resists — reports
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Open-source intake