An administrative case for petty hooliganism was brought against Yabloko party chairman Nikolai Rybakov over messages he wrote on his ballots during voting in St. Petersburg.
On September 20, Rybakov spoiled four ballots by writing “For peace,” “For freedom,” “For a ceasefire agreement,” and “For a life without fear.” There were no Yabloko candidates on the ballots he had been given.
He was charged under Part 1 of Article 20.1 of Russia’s Administrative Code, which covers petty hooliganism.
The Insider reviewed open-source and court records and found at least 13 earlier cases since 2022 in which messages or drawings on ballots became the reason, or part of the reason, for administrative prosecution.
On October 9, St. Petersburg’s Vyborgsky District Court found Rybakov guilty and fined him 1,000 rubles.