Maxim Petlin, who leads Yabloko’s Sverdlovsk regional organization, may have left Russia several weeks before the country’s parliamentary elections.
Petlin has not been seen in Yekaterinburg for several months, while the date he left Russia and his current whereabouts remain unknown. In comments to Kommersant, Petlin said his lawyer had advised him not to discuss reports about his departure, citing the safety of Petlin and his family.
Withdrew from candidacy in June
In June, Petlin abandoned his decision to run in the State Duma elections planned for this month. The decision was attributed to pressure from law enforcement, including brief detentions and police searches at his home.
Yabloko members detained
Yabloko, Russia’s oldest liberal party, is described as the only registered political party campaigning on a pro-peace platform. Some of the party’s candidates were barred from next week’s elections on various grounds.
At least six Yabloko members running for federal or regional office in the Sverdlovsk region were detained on Monday. The members were accused of displaying “extremist” symbols in public places, and the accusations reportedly prevented the candidates from taking part in the elections.
Yabloko’s Sverdlovsk regional organization said on Wednesday that Petlin had been in contact with one of the detained members.
Candidacies continue in single-member districts
The party’s candidates running in single-member electoral districts can continue to seek office. That right remains in place even after Russia’s Supreme Court annulled last month the registration of Yabloko’s federal candidate list for the State Duma.
