St. Petersburg Court Fines Yabloko Leader $12 for Writing Peace Slogans on Ballot

Oct. 9, 2026 Nikolai Rybakov at the polling station. yabloko.ru A St. Petersburg judge on Friday fined Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov 1,000 rubles ($11.80) for writing anti-war slogans on his ballots during last month’s State Duma elections. Rybakov had written four party slogans on his ballots while voting at a polling station on Sept. 20: “For Peace,” “For Freedom,” “For a Life Without Fear” and “For a Ceasefire Agreement.” Police accused him of “ignoring society’s interests, showing disrespect and breaking public order.” The Vyborgsky District Court found Rybakov guilty of disorderly conduct. Rybakov and his defense urged the court to drop all charges, maintaining that spoiling a ballot is a legally recognized form of political expression. Rybakov and his lawyers sought dismissal of the case, arguing that spoiling a ballot was a lawful form of political expression. “I expressed my civic stance that I couldn’t vote because there was no one to vote for… Over 900,000 voters did the exact same thing by invalidating their ballots,” Rybakov said during an earlier hearing. Rybakov was not present for Friday’s verdict, which was briefly interrupted by an evacuation order. Yabloko, Russia’s oldest liberal party, was the only registered political party campaigning for peace in the 2026 State Duma elections. Ryabkov's case came amid mounting pressure on the party. Three prominent Yabloko members have received prison sentences in the past four months, most recently Yelena Perepelitsa on Thursday. Yabloko candidates were widely barred from contesting the Sept. 18-20 elections, in which the ruling United Russia party secured a record majority in the State Duma. Besides being struck from the party-list ballot, Yabloko’s candidates running for seats in the lower house faced interference from the authorities, police detentions and disqualification in single-member constituencies where they could still run. Yabloko was also barred from almost all regional legislative elections. The northwestern Novgorod region was the only region where Yabloko cleared the 5% vote threshold needed to win seats in the regional legislature. Read more about: St. Petersburg , Yabloko , Opposition Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Russian Liberal Politician Jailed for 4 Years Over Donation to Navalny Group Elena Perepelitsa is the third Yabloko member to be jailed in less than four months. 1 Min read Central Election Commission Bars Yabloko Candidates From St. Petersburg Ballot Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov accused election officials of systematically targeting the party because it “opposes the authorities and defends residents... 1 Min read St. Petersburg Opposition Lawmaker Vishnevsky Resigns Over ‘Foreign Agent’ Ban Authorities designated Boris Vishnevsky, a member of the liberal Yabloko party, as a “foreign agent” in March, citing his opposition to the war. 1 Min read St. Petersburg Election Ballot Features 3 Near-Identical Boris Vishnevskys The longtime Kremlin critic accuses authorities of running the two other men as “spoiler” candidates to trick voters.