# Russia purges its last anti-war politicians > Ahead of the first State Duma elections since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, few are left to speak for peace. - Title: Russia purges its last anti-war politicians · Foreign Policy - Summary: Ahead of the first State Duma elections since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, few are left to speak for peace. Russia has systematically eliminated all… - Keywords: russia, state duma, elections, boris nadezhdin, yabloko party, ukraine war, vladimir putin, anti-war, political repression, kremlin, opposition, censorship - Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/russia-state-duma-elections-anti-war-candidate-purge - Author: Brawley Benson - Read time: 3 min - Topics: russia, state duma, elections, boris nadezhdin, yabloko party, ukraine war, vladimir putin, anti-war, political repression, kremlin, opposition, censorship ## Nadezhdin's peace campaign crushed Boris Nadezhdin ran for parliament as an independent peace candidate. Within weeks, authorities forced him to flee Russia or face prison. ## Not a radical, just persistent Nadezhdin, 63, isn't a firebrand. He thinks his mistake was not disappearing after his failed presidential bid two years ago. > I must have irritated some Kremlin officials ## The last peace voices purged Ahead of the first State Duma elections since the invasion, authorities purged the last political elements advocating for peace. ## Putin needs the veneer of support The Kremlin wants the war to appear publicly supported. Putin said the elections will reaffirm stability and express the common will of millions. ## Elections could expose war discontent While the vote poses no threat to Putin, it offers Russians a chance to register displeasure with the war as drones strike deeper into Russia. ## The systemic opposition charade The Duma includes communists and nationalists, but they're all systemic opposition. United Russia holds 70 percent of seats, and the rest broadly support it. > It's not like a parliament in European countries ## Nadezhdin's decades in the system Nadezhdin spent his career in systemic opposition. He believed criticizing policy, not Putin himself, would let him remain an advocate for peace. ## His presidential run shocked everyone Two years ago, over 100,000 Russians endorsed Nadezhdin's anti-war presidential campaign before the election commission barred him, citing signature errors. ## The pressure escalated quickly In July, the Justice Ministry branded Nadezhdin a foreign agent. He was convicted of displaying extremist symbols and banned from leaving the country. ## A suspicious exit window opened After receiving a notice from the Investigative Committee, Nadezhdin saw his exit ban lifted. He and his wife flew to Kazakhstan, then Paris. ## Yabloko became the last hope As Nadezhdin fled, Russians turned to the liberal Yabloko party. Founded in 1993, it's the sole party opposing the Ukraine war. ## Interest in Yabloko surged In late July, traffic to Yabloko's social media platforms doubled. Its Instagram following grew by 100,000 in just weeks. ## Apples became a protest symbol Videos of people dancing with apples, Yabloko's namesake, flooded social media. One video on Red Square got 350,000 likes by late August. > Yabloko, which never claimed to be anything serious, unexpectedly became the party people want to vote for ## Then Yabloko was banned too A nationalist party sued Yabloko over Western donations. A Moscow court agreed and banned it from the party-list ballot in August. ## The Kremlin miscalculated badly Officials expected Yabloko to get few votes, proving no appetite for peace. When it gained steam, they had no choice but to ban it. ## The war hits home harder Drones explode over Moscow regularly. People wait in half-mile lines for fuel. Even ordering from Russia's Amazon equivalent has become unreliable. ## Yabloko leaders face prison Days after the party was banned, its deputy chairman Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month for discrediting the armed forces. ## The party may be liquidated Former Duma representative Dmitry Gudkov predicts Yabloko will be destroyed. The system doesn't need it anymore. > They will be destroyed. They are not needed for the system anymore ## Opposition now exists only in exile Exiled politician Ilya Yashin formed a party called Peaceful Russia. But opposition figures abroad have little way to influence developments back home. > Today, the opposition can be either underground or in exile or in prison ## Key takeaway Russia has systematically eliminated all anti-war voices from its parliamentary elections, banning candidates and parties that advocated for peace.