The Council of the European Union on Monday imposed restrictive measures against 10 Russian officials for their role in the exclusion of Yabloko, also known as the Russian United Democratic Party, from the 2026 Russian legislative elections, saying the move undermines both the rule of law and democracy in Russia.
In an EU statement regarding Russia’s September elections, the high representative stressed:
Russian authorities have continued to increase the systematic and institutionalized internal and transnational repression to exclude any democratic opposition forces from contesting the status quo. The decision to exclude candidates from the Yabloko party from running on the federal list further limited the choice for Russian voters, debarring from the electoral process one of the last remaining opposition forces and the only party with an anti-war platform.
The Council found an official in the Prosecutor General’s Office and three judges of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation were involved in the decision to prevent the Yabloko political party—Russia’s only political party that openly opposed Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine—from participating in the State Duma elections that occurred between September 18-20.
In a non-binding fact sheet, the European Court of Human Rights explained Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) applies to political parties. Under the Court’s case-law, a political party may promote a change in the law or the legal and constitutional structures of the State, provided that the means used to that end are legal and democratic and that the change proposed is itself compatible with fundamental democratic principles.
The court held that a political party whose leaders incite to violence or which introduces a policy that does not respect democracy, openly and intentionally disregards or violates rights and freedoms recognized in a democracy, or which is aimed at the destruction of democracy cannot hide behind the Convention’s protections to protect themselves against legal penalties or consequences resulting from those actions.
A brief from the European Parliament concurred, writing all EU Member States should consider banning a political party as a last resort measure against extremism, recognizing its potential to safeguard liberal democracy.
Russia’s nationalist, pro-Kremlin party Rodina filed the motion to prevent Yabloko’s participation in the 2026 elections. On August 10, 2026, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled in Rodina’s favour, barring Yabloko —Russia’s only anti-war party— from participating in September parliamentary elections due to alleged breaches of copyright, extremism and other misconduct.
On August 19, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a statement expressing his shock and concern at Russia’s barring of the Yabloko party from participating in Russia’s 2026 parliamentary elections and sentencing deputy chair Lev Shlosberg to more than 11 years in prison on charges of “discrediting the Russian military and spreading “false information.” Turk called on authorities to respect freedom of expression and citizens’ right to fully and freely participate in [fair and transparent] electoral processes.
The press release reiterated the EU’s strong condemnation of all human rights violations and repressions in Russia and expressed deep concern about the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in the country, particularly in the context of the Ukraine war.
