‘A legal way to say no to the war and to Putin’

Exiled Russian opposition figures launch campaign in support of Yabloko party in upcoming elections

A group of Russian opposition politicians, journalists, human rights advocates, and activists living in exile have launched a campaign urging Russians to vote for the anti-war Yabloko party in September’s parliamentary elections. The campaign is not affiliated with Yabloko itself or with any of its individual candidates.

The new campaign’s organisers note that Yabloko is the only party on the ballot that openly calls for peace in Ukraine. “A vote for Yabloko isn’t about party sympathies,” it said in a statement. “It’s a legal way to say ‘no’ to the war and to Putin. We call the war a war and Putin a criminal, and we want that message to be heard louder.”

The group also stressed that the initiative is open to anyone who wants to take part, whether in Russia or abroad. It asked supporters inside the country to record videos or write social media posts encouraging people to go to their polling stations at midday on 20 September and vote for Yabloko. The campaign is also seeking support from bloggers and public figures to widen its reach.

Russians living abroad are asked to organise events of their own or bring campaign materials to places where diaspora communities already gather, such as concerts, festivals, and other community events. Volunteers abroad can also contribute design work, video production, promotion, and event coordination.

“[We are] people who care enough to put aside their disagreements in pursuit of one thing: restoring Russia’s future and its dignity, step by step,” the campaign’s website says. “It doesn’t matter which political force you support, or whether you support any at all — we’ll have plenty to argue about once there are genuinely competitive elections. That possibility is itself the shared goal.”

The campaign’s organisers include former political prisoners Andrei Pivovarov, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Oleg Orlov; Anastasia Burakova, the founder of the Kovcheg project; writer Dmitry Bykov; Novaya Gazeta Europe editor-in-chief Kirill Martynov; and others.

At least 14 Yabloko members who planned to take part in the Duma elections have been barred from running after authorities charged them with displaying “extremist symbols”.