Russian opposition party Yabloko candidates threatened ahead of elections PHOTO

Two candidates from Russia’s liberal opposition Yabloko party have been threatened with violence and told to withdraw from elections in the western Kaliningrad Region, according to the party. Its leader, Nikolai Rybakov, has asked Russia’s Interior Ministry to investigate the messages and take steps to protect the candidates.

Yabloko is a long-standing Russian political party that has generally opposed President Vladimir Putin’s government and campaigned on liberal and democratic policies. The party has faced increasing difficulties participating in elections in Russia. According to Kommersant, an unidentified sender contacted Yabloko representatives in Kaliningrad about a week and a half before the elections, demanding that lawyer Roman Morozov and bank employee Dmitry Mamaev withdraw their candidacies for the Kaliningrad Regional Legislative Assembly.

Morozov is also running for a seat in Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament.

“Is this the Yabloko representative in Kaliningrad? If you are for life, then stand up for the lives of your own people. Withdraw R and D. Why should there be needless sacrifices? A well-wisher,” the sender wrote, according to a screenshot published by Yabloko’s press office.

The message was sent on September 8 by a user named Mark, according to the screenshot. The account was registered in Russia this month.

Morozov told Kommersant North-West that he had not personally received threats and declined to comment further, saying he did not want to publicise the messages.

Rybakov subsequently appealed to Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, asking authorities to identify those responsible and investigate the threats.

“Yabloko regards the message as a threat to the candidates’ lives and an attempt to force the party to withdraw them from the election,” the party said.

The incident comes amid a series of setbacks for Yabloko in Kaliningrad. On August 28, a court removed the party’s regional electoral list from the ballot following a legal challenge by the Communists of Russia party.

Three Yabloko candidates had initially been running in single-member constituencies. Besides Morozov and Mamaev, social activist and entrepreneur Anton Hendrickson was a candidate for the regional legislature. He was later removed from the election after being detained for 10 days on a charge related to displaying extremist symbols.

Yabloko said its candidates elsewhere in Russia have also faced threats. In the Saratov Region, regional party official Kirill Rumyantsev received social-media messages in August demanding that he withdraw from the election and threatening him with murder. The party said four Yabloko members subsequently withdrew from elections after receiving similar messages.

By Sabina Mammadli