Russia's Supreme Court on Monday barred Yabloko, the country's only anti-war party, from running in September's parliamentary elections to the lower house. The ruling effectively bans one of the few political blocs openly calling for an end to the fighting in Ukraine, an invasion that has been going on for four and a half years.
The motion to bar the party was filed by Rodina, a nationalist pro-Kremlin party that accused Yabloko of receiving undeclared campaign support. While Yabloko has navigated a delicate balancing act with an increasingly heavy-handed Kremlin, its pro-peace manifesto turned out to be the red line.
About a hundred protesters gathered outside the courthouse chanting "Shame! Shame!" after the ruling was delivered.