WSJ: Putin Has Shown His Weakness

Anti-war sentiment is on the rise in Russia.

Russian authorities banned the Yabloko party from participating in the parliamentary elections just one month before the vote. The formal justification cited copyright violations, as well as allegations of foreign funding. However, party representatives and political analysts believe the real reason is linked to the party’s unexpected surge in popularity amid Russians’ weariness with the war in Ukraine, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Until recently, Yabloko was considered a marginal political force. For years, the party avoided direct calls for protests and tried not to cross the lines set by the Kremlin. The party’s co-founder Grigory Yavlinsky admitted: “We played it safe.” But now even that approach has proven too risky for the authorities.

Over the course of a few weeks of campaigning, Yabloko’s Instagram following grew by about 100,000, and the number of search queries containing the party’s name rose by 90%. The party’s symbol—an apple—unexpectedly became part of the protest movement on social media.

Political analyst Abbas Gallyamov claims that, according to polls conducted by the authorities, “Yabloko” has begun to gain popularity among Russians who oppose the war. “The Kremlin feared that the elections might turn into a referendum on war versus peace,” the political analyst said.

After the party was banned, hundreds of its supporters gathered outside the courthouse in Moscow. Several people were detained, and four were arrested. However, “Yabloko” had not originally expected to win a significant number of seats in parliament. The party wanted to use the election to promote a peace agenda.
The authorities’ decision may backfire. “The more power the regime tries to demonstrate outwardly, the weaker its position actually becomes,” Galliamov believes.

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