State and municipal newspapers in at least seven Russian regions refused to publish the unified pre-election program of Yabloko's single-mandate candidates, the party's press service reported. The refusals were recorded in the Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Ulyanovsk, and Chelyabinsk regions, the Perm and Stavropol territories, and Yakutia.
The program, consisting of 43 words, includes calls 'for peace and freedom,' 'for a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy, and the achievement of peace,' and 'for a Russia free from fear and political repression.'
In most cases, the publications cited formal reasons. For example, the newspaper 'Strana Kaliningrad' suggested that candidate Roman Morozov rewrite the text, removing the words 'peace,' 'ceasefire,' 'achievement of peace,' and 'political repression,' after which it expressed readiness to publish the material. In the Perm region, 'Ogni Kamy' refused Konstantin Ponomarev, citing that Yabloko's party list was removed from the election, although Ponomarev himself remains a registered candidate. In 'Sakhapechat' in Yakutia, they said that Anatoly Nogovitsyn's program must be coordinated with the prosecutor's office and Roskomnadzor.
'Ulyanovskaya Pravda' justified its refusal by saying that Dmitry Gondarenko's layout 'did not pass coordination with the election commission.' 'Stavropolskaya Pravda' gave no reasons, refusing Vitaly Zubenko. In the Kemerovo region, the newspaper 'Kuzbass' cited the absence of notification about the manufacturer's data for Evgeny Smolnikov's layout. Chelyabinsk's 'Guberniya' suggested Yaroslav Shcherbakov return the money, saying it could print the program no earlier than August 31.
Yabloko said it considers what is happening an attempt to prevent the party's main slogan—'For peace and freedom'—from being heard during the campaign. The candidates intend to appeal the refusals through legally prescribed methods.
Meanwhile, the Novgorod election commission sent Yabloko's campaign videos 'Russia Needs Peace' to the prosecutor's office, seeing signs of legal violations. Which specific law the materials might violate was not specified. The Novgorod branch of VGTRK and the regional audiovisual center suspended the airing of the recordings until the prosecutor's office responds. The party said it does not understand how campaigning for peace could be illegal.
In Kursk, the state television and radio company refused to air the videos of candidate Alexander Novikov, demanding they be checked for violations—in the videos, he calls for 'voting for peace and freedom.' The TV company said it needs five days to obtain permission from the regional election commission, causing the candidate to lose four airings, and then three more slots will be lost.
Sources diverge: some publications report refusals in seven regions, others speak of a systematic campaign against Yabloko's campaigning, also mentioning the removal of a banner in the Irkutsk region and checks by the prosecutor's office and Roskomnadzor in the Novgorod region and Yakutia.