Members of the Kuban branch of the Pensioners' Party considered the mass expulsions of members to be an election stunt

Regional branches of the Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice have reported mass expulsions and possible document falsification. In Kuban, 32 people were expelled from the party. They demanded an investigation into these decisions, citing the upcoming State Duma elections.

Members of the Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice are outraged by the mass expulsions.

On March 25, members of the Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice sent a collective complaint to the heads of the Presidential Administration, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Investigative Committee, and the Ministry of Justice. The authors of the complaint allege systemic violations within the party and request investigations.

According to the complainants, this is not the first such complaint. "Collective complaints have been filed previously, but no information on the results of their consideration has been received," the document states.

According to the authors of the complaint, this concerns the mass expulsion of party members, including entire regional branches.

"The illegal removal of undesirable individuals from party ranks continues actively and purposefully," the appeal states.

The complainants pay particular attention to the practice of "mass expulsions." According to them, in a number of regions, decisions were made without specifying specific individuals. "The expulsions were carried out not based on the personal data of citizens with the ability to identify them, but 'wholesale,' indicating only the number of excluded party members," the authors of the complaint stated. For example, according to their information, 32 people were expelled in Krasnodar Krai, and 46 in Tver Oblast. However, the identities of these members, as they claim, are not indicated in the documents. The applicants emphasize that such decisions "deprive them of the opportunity to exercise their constitutional rights to vote and be elected... for five years."

32 people have been expelled from the party in Kuban

The complaint describes in detail the situation in the Krasnodar regional branch. According to its former chairman, Sergei Matveyev, events unfolded rapidly and without the participation of the party members themselves.

"On January 31, 2026, at a general meeting, we were informed of the appointment of a new chairman of the regional branch council - Akhmetkhan Bekov," Sergei Matveyev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to him, the decision was presented as having already been adopted by the central bodies of the party.

At the same time, according to the applicants, before this, "there was no information about the membership of A.B. Bekov." "He was not a party member, was not registered with the regional branch, and had not applied for party membership."

Simultaneously, according to the documents presented, Matveyev himself was expelled from the party, along with all members of the regional branch. "By the same decision, the entire regional branch—32 people—was expelled from the party," the complaint states.

"Two protocols—two different decisions"

One of the complainants' key arguments was information about possible document falsification. According to them, the regional branches were provided with different versions of the same decision of the presidium of the party's central council. "The presence of two versions of the same decision with different content clearly indicates falsification," the authors of the complaint assert.

Former presidium member Nikolai Stepanov, cited by the complainants, stated that he voted against Matveyev's expulsion. "The distortion of voting results in the protocols confirms the fact of knowingly introducing false information into official documents," the complaint states.

Demand for Investigations and Criminal-Law Assessment

The authors of the appeal sharply criticize the actions of the current party leadership, including Eduard Prazdnikov and Vladimir Vorozhtsov, calling them "political sabotage." They noted that such actions have caused damage to branches in various regions of Russia, including Kuban and Kalmykia.

The applicants also warn that the current situation could affect the party's participation in the 2026 State Duma elections. "Obstacles are being created to the party's ability to become a parliamentary party," they believe.

The authors of the complaint asked supervisory and law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations in several areas. Specifically, to assess the legality of the expulsion of party members; to review the procedure for appointing leaders; Provide a legal assessment of the possible falsification of documents.

We have effectively been deprived of the right to participate in political life—without notice, without the opportunity to defend ourselves.

They cite a number of provisions, including Article 32 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as Articles 141, 201, and 327 of the Criminal Code. "Expelled and disenfranchised members are deprived of the opportunity to participate in political activities and be elected," the appeal emphasizes.

Former chairman of the Krasnodar regional branch of the party, Sergei Matveyev, considers this a violation not only of the party charter but also of the basic rights of its members. "We were effectively deprived of the right to participate in political life—without notice, without the opportunity to defend ourselves," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Akhmetkhan Bekov, the new head of the Krasnodar branch, was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Former communists consider the situation in the Pensioners' Party similar

We were also expelled on the eve of the elections for our active civic position.

Elena Didenko, a former member of the Sochi electoral commission from the Communist Party, and Igor Vasiliev, the head of the Sochi branch of the Communist Party, consider the situation in the Pensioners' Party "unsurprising." "We were also expelled on the eve of the elections, for our active civic position and because of the inconvenience of making the necessary decisions and nominating the right candidates loyal to the ruling party," says Igor Vasiliev, who, under the current conditions, sees no chance for a fair political struggle.

Communist Party of the Russian Federation supporters reported that "all the undesirables were expelled according to a similar scenario. The party was simply purged of active, decent, and honest people," says Elena Didenko, adding that despite being in the party for more than 20 years, the party's top leadership saw no need to respond to requests for reinstatement and protection of party members.