Anti-war Sentiment Has Intensified In Russia

• 18.08.2026, 18:29

Young Russians want to see changes in the country.

The exclusion of the Yabloko party from the September elections unexpectedly drew increased attention to it from Russians who oppose the continuation of the war. The Russian Supreme Court upheld the decision to bar the party from the election, after which it became one of the few public platforms for expressing dissent against the government’s policies, writes The New York Times.

Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov received a significant surge in attention. The party’s slogans “For Peace and Freedom!” and “For a Russia Without Fear and Repression!” appeal to young Russians, allowing them to discuss political change without directly using language that could lead to persecution.

During meetings and rallies, party supporters chanted political slogans—a rare occurrence in modern Moscow. “More than 30 people were detained after the events. Some bloggers and musicians have also publicly joined the party,” writes The New York Times.
Meanwhile, pressure on the opposition is intensifying. In Pskov, Lev Shlosberg, a former lawmaker and one of Yabloko’s prominent figures, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
Despite the repression, the party’s Moscow headquarters has recently been visited by more than a thousand new supporters. Among them are young activists and potential candidates.

According to polls, the number of Russians who prefer peace talks to continued hostilities is more than double the proportion of those who support continuing the war.

Against this backdrop, Yabloko continues to attract people seeking a moderate and legal form of political protest. Paradoxically, the party’s exclusion from the elections has only heightened interest in it.