Yekaterinburg opposition party leader’s home raided in pre-election crackdown

Russian security forces in Yekaterinburg have raided the home of Maxim Petlin, the regional leader of the liberal opposition party Yabloko, according to a statement from the party’s press service on Wednesday.

A raid was also carried out at the home of local Yabloko activist Yegor Tkachenko. Police reportedly seized Petlin and Tkachenko’s phones and laptops, before taking them to an unknown location where they could not be contacted. Both men were subsequently released without charge.

The latest raids come ahead of elections to the regional Legislative Assembly and the Russian State Duma in September, Yabloko’s press service noted, adding that “the pressure being exerted on Yabloko activists is an attempt to prevent candidates from standing in the elections.”

Founded in 1993, Yabloko is one of Russia’s oldest opposition parties, and the country’s only legal party which advocates for peace in Ukraine. The party has held no seats in Russia’s parliament, the State Duma, since 2007, but maintains a smattering of representation in lower elected bodies, including three regional assemblies.

According to the party’s own data, since the start of the war in Ukraine, 10 party members have been charged with criminal offences, 11 have served administrative arrests, and more than 40 raids have been conducted at the offices and homes of party activists.

Several Yabloko politicians, including the party’s leader and serving members of legislative assemblies, have been barred from standing in the upcoming elections due to convictions for a variety of minor offences.

According to the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM), nationwide support for ruling party United Russia’s is down six percentage points since February, at 27.3%, amid falling approval ratings for Vladimir Putin.

The same poll suggests Yabloko will achieve a vote share around 3%, significantly below the 5% required to gain representation in the State Duma.