Kirill Rumyantsev, deputy chairman of the Yabloko party in Saratov and a candidate for the State Duma in the Balashovsky constituency, said in his Telegram channel that he and his family have been receiving threats.
According to Rumyantsev, the first call came on Thursday. An unidentified caller demanded he withdraw from the race, then issued threats against both the politician and his family. The caller also mentioned that Rumyantsev could be framed with illegal substances.
Later, a person identifying himself as Igor began messaging Rumyantsev on Telegram. He claimed to have been watching the politician near his home and promised to "break his head," kill him and "say hello" to Rumyantsev's mother. One screenshot shows the unknown person also demanding that Rumyantsev say nothing bad about United Russia.
Rumyantsev has filed a report with the police. In late July, the Central Election Commission registered the Yabloko party list for the autumn State Duma elections. The party is running under the slogan "For peace and freedom! For a life without fear!" and is the only anti-war party on the ballot. Representatives of systemic political forces have criticized Yabloko for its position on the war and have demanded through the courts that the party be removed from the election.