Moscow court disqualifies Yabloko candidate Viktor Bystrov

The Moscow Regional Court has canceled the registration of Viktor Bystrov, a candidate for the opposition Yabloko party, for the upcoming State Duma elections. Bystrov was running in single-mandate constituency No. 120 in Kolomna, Moscow region.

The petition to disqualify Bystrov was filed by Dmitry Gelever, a candidate for the Greens party running in the same constituency. The lawsuit cited allegations of extremism, copyright violations, and illegal foreign campaign financing. Bystrov’s lawyer, Alexander Muraviev, stated that the legal arguments used against him mirror those previously used by the Russian Supreme Court to strike down Yabloko’s federal candidate list.

This ruling follows recent actions to limit Yabloko’s participation in the September elections. Last week, the Russian Supreme Court upheld a lawsuit from the pro-Kremlin Vlast party, which successfully canceled Yabloko’s federal list. That lawsuit alleged improper social media campaigning, copyright issues, and extremism, specifically citing the party’s support for LGBT+ rights and its stance on the war in Ukraine.