Russia's Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit on Monday seeking to bar the Yabloko party from the September parliamentary elections, the only party on the ballot openly opposing the war in Ukraine.
The Rodina party, led by Aleksei Zhuravlev, filed the suit alleging copyright violations, including unauthorized use of the songs "Let There Always Be Sunshine" and "If Only There Were No War" in campaign materials. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov said the lawsuit is an attempt to remove the party for its pro-peace stance and announced a countersuit accusing Zhuravlev of defamation.
The State Duma elections are scheduled for Sept. 18–20. Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late opposition leader, called on voters to support Yabloko because of its anti-war position. However, Yabloko distanced itself from endorsements by exiled opposition figures, with Rybakov warning that such support could jeopardize the party's ballot access.