Russian election observer loses consciousness during arrest by police, opposition party says

Russia’s liberal opposition Yabloko party said that one of its election observers lost consciousness while being arrested by police at a St. Petersburg polling station on Saturday, the second day of a tightly controlled parliamentary election.

The voting to elect members of the State Duma is Russia's first parliamentary election since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The three-day election, which began Friday and ends Sunday, features virtually no opposition and is all but certain to secure the Kremlin’s political dominance.

Yabloko said that officials at the polling station accused a party election observer of attempting to “disrupt the elections” and called the police, which “used force” against him.

It was unclear whether he received prompt medical attention after falling unconscious, the party said in a statement on Telegram Saturday, adding that he was taken to a police station and charged with disobeying police orders.

Russian officials didn't immediately comment on the incident.

Yabloko, the only registered political entity that dared to criticize Russia's war with Ukraine, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia’s Supreme Court, and only has a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency races. Additionally, some anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced to flee abroad before the campaign.

Yabloko and the Communist Party, which has criticized some aspects of government policy but carefully avoided any criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that many of their election observers were turned away from polling stations.

The parties also reported various violations, including sealed ballot boxes being opened, the refusal to issue paper ballots and provide turnout data for verification, and doors to polling stations not being secured overnight.

On Friday, Yabloko’s leader appealed to Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Election Commission, over what the party said were numerous denials of entry to its observers and pressure on them.

“The scale of what’s happening does not allow us to view this as a misunderstanding,” Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov said.

Russia didn't invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor the election, with the Russian Foreign Ministry accusing the body of “double standards” for its criticism of Russia.

It said that it had invited other international organizations, as well as observers from OSCE member states, in its place.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons said that the decision was a breach of Russia’s commitments as a member state of the organization.

“This persistent rejection of independent scrutiny follows a deeply worrying pattern of disregard for the principles of transparency, democratic accountability and the rule of law,” he said.

Russia’s Central Election Commission said that more than 380,000 electoral observers had been registered before the vote, including representatives from 11 political parties. Of those registered, 97,040 observers were linked to the United Russia party, with the next largest group, 42,743 observers, representing Russia’s Communist Party.

It also said that 1,126 international election observers and “electoral experts” have been registered from 133 countries and 13 international organizations.

Russia also tightened restrictions on election observers in the lead-up to the parliamentary vote. Under a new code of ethics, observers are banned from making statements “that could be construed as undermining confidence in the electoral system.”

Russian authorities spread the parliamentary election over the weekend in a bid to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters, and they allowed electronic balloting.

For the first time, the parliamentary election includes residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began, but still doesn’t fully control. Voting also is taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Kremlin wants the vote to underline public support for the war in Ukraine and give a veneer of legitimacy to it. It has sought to avoid any political risks by stamping out even the slightest sign of dissent.

The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is all but assured to retain its overwhelming control of the lower house, the State Duma. Several smaller parties of the “systemic opposition” that vote in sync with the government on all key issues also are expected to retain their presence.

Voters use an electronic voting system in the parliamentary election in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A woman smiles as she speaks to an election commission employee, left, after using an electronic voting system in the parliamentary election in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A voter uses an electronic voting system in the parliamentary election in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

The New People's party leader Alexei Nechayev waits to receive a ballot to vote in the parliamentary election in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) CAPTION CORRECTION: Corrects spelling of first name from Alexey to Alexei

A voter leaves a polling booth after casting a vote during the parliamentary election in Podolsk, Moscow region, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

NEW YORK (AP) — Reporters from three major news organizations — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — were denied access to the White House on Saturday morning, with reporters from the two cable networks both going live to report they’d been barred following a ban imposed by President Donald Trump.

The actions escalated Trump’s long-running efforts in administrative action — and sometimes in the courts — to restrict news coverage by journalists he finds objectionable, and is the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States. Trump said Friday he would ban both organizations and also Politico, because of their coverage — which he called “fake news.”

Politico said its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry to the White House and had her badge confiscated. The announcement came shortly after the turning away of MS NOW and CNN journalists.

Editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger said in a statement to the Politico newsroom: “We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. … We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”

CNN and MS NOW have issued similar statements. “We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account,” it said. The statement was shown on the air before senior White House reporter Betsy Klein began to report on her ban.

MS NOW also said in a statement that it stands behind its journalists. “The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars,” the network said in a statement Saturday. “MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”'

In his second term, Trump and his administration have upped the ante and punished certain media outlets, both in the courtroom and through regulatory action. Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms.

Both CNN White House reporter Betsy Klein and MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner went on the air to report they'd been banned from entering the White House.

Network correspondents are usually present on the weekends when the president is in Washington or at nearby Camp David. Trump is at the presidential retreat in Maryland this weekend. Politico journalists typically are not at the White House on Saturdays.

Gardner was turned away and her entry badge confiscated, she said. She noted she had walked through two gates successfully, but once she got to where her badge needed to be scanned, an officer told her it was disabled and asked her to hand it over. He said the decision “was above him," she reported. An MS NOW producer was able to get in, but a photographer's badge was also disabled, Gardner said.

Klein, senior White House reporter at CNN, also said her badge had been deactivated.

CNN media analyst Brian Stelter called the move “a direct threat to press freedom in the United States.”

“It’s so much bigger than CNN,” Stelter said. “This is a free speech test in America.”

The president wrote on his social media site Friday that effective immediately, “I am banning” CNN, MS NOW and Politico “from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Minutes later, speaking at an event in the Oval Office, Trump was asked to explain his statement.

“Because they’re fake news,” he said. “You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW … , it’s fake news.”

“And when you look at Politico ... the stories they wrote are fake. So there’s a lot of news and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better,” he said. “But our country has to have honest news.”

The move follows the president’s decision last year to bar Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other events in retaliation for the news outlet’s decision not to follow his lead in changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, which lies partially in Mexican and other waters. The AP said that it would note when appropriate that Trump had ordered it renamed the “Gulf of America.”

The AP filed suit and the case is ongoing. Since returning to office, Trump has pursued other legal action against a variety of different outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC. His administration is also involved in a long-simmering confrontation involving ABC over renewal of its broadcast licenses.

MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner reports near the White House complex after being denied entry following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett is pictured near the White House complex after having her credential revoked following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

This combination of photos shows MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardne, from left, CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein and Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett near the White House complex after all were denied entry to the White House and had credentials confiscated following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photos/Jose Luis Magana)

CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein, right, departs after having her credential revoked following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein, carrying an empty credential holder after having her credential revoked following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, walks near the White House, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein, holding up an empty credential holder, reports near the White House complex after having her credential confiscated following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One on the Ellipse near the White House, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)