EU Sanctions 10 Russian Officials Over Yabloko Election Ban
The EU Council sanctioned 10 Russian officials for barring Yabloko from elections.
Why it matters: This move signals the EU’s targeted legal and diplomatic efforts to uphold election integrity and respond to political repression in Russia amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
- Sanctions were imposed on September 28, 2026, targeting 10 Russian officials involved in excluding Yabloko from legislative elections.
- Among those sanctioned are three Supreme Court judges and an official from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
- Yabloko was the sole party opposing Russia’s war against Ukraine and was barred from September’s State Duma elections.
- Sanctions include asset freezes and prohibit EU entities from providing funds or resources to the listed individuals.
On September 28, 2026, the Council of the European Union imposed restrictive measures against ten Russian officials. These individuals were implicated in barring the Yabloko party from participating in the 2026 State Duma elections.
The sanctioned include three judges from the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and an official from the Prosecutor General’s Office directly involved in the decision to exclude Yabloko from the electoral process.
Yabloko stood out as the only political party openly opposing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Its exclusion significantly narrowed political options for Russian voters, as noted by the EU High Representative, who condemned the barring as limiting democratic choice.
Additionally, the sanctions target the judge who sentenced Yabloko's deputy chair, Lev Shlosberg, to 11 years and one month imprisonment for allegedly discrediting the Russian army and spreading misinformation related to the war in Ukraine.
These measures freeze assets of the listed individuals, and prohibit EU citizens and companies from making funds or economic resources available to them. This latest action brings the total number of individuals under EU restrictive measures concerning Russia to 108, alongside seven entities.
The sanctions form part of a framework established in March 2024 following Alexei Navalny's death, aimed at those responsible for human rights violations, repression of civil society, and undermining democracy in Russia.
On August 19, 2026, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk publicly condemned the barring of Yabloko and the sentencing of Lev Shlosberg, emphasizing the importance of respecting freedom of expression and citizens' rights to participate in elections.
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, described Shlosberg’s prosecution as retaliatory and a clear attack on freedom of expression by peaceful dissenters.
By the numbers:
- 10 officials — sanctioned for barring Yabloko from 2026 elections
- 11 years and 1 month — prison term for Yabloko deputy chair Lev Shlosberg
- 108 individuals and 7 entities — total under EU restrictive measures as of September 2026