Russia: Yabloko election observer loses consciousness during police arrest

An election observer from the liberal opposition party Yabloko reportedly lost consciousness while being arrested by police at a polling station in Saint Petersburg. The incident occurred during the second day of Russia's parliamentary elections for the State Duma, which are the first such elections held since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Yabloko stated that polling officials accused the observer of attempting to disrupt the election, prompting a police intervention where force was allegedly used. The individual was taken to a police station and charged with disobeying police orders. It remains unclear if the observer received immediate medical attention.

The Yabloko party, the only registered political group to openly criticize the war in Ukraine, faced significant restrictions after the Russian Supreme Court barred the party from participating in the elections. Consequently, the party could only field a limited number of individual candidates in single-mandate districts. Both Yabloko and the Communist Party have reported that many of their observers were denied access to polling stations.