Maxim Katz and 15 of his supporters were expelled from Yabloko. For attempting to “organize a sect within the party”

The Federal Bureau of Yabloko expelled 16 people from the party, including the co-founder of the City Projects Foundation, Maxim Katz. This was reported to Kommersant by the press secretary of Yabloko, Igor Yakovlev.

The Yabloko website says that Katz tried to lead the Moscow branch of the party by creating an "artificial majority" in it from his supporters who did not make independent decisions. “In essence, Katz is trying to organize a sect within the party with himself at the head,” the party’s federal bureau said.

The decision of the bureau also says that the struggle of Katz and his like-minded people for control over the Moscow branch "for more than three years has been accompanied by continuous scandals, outrageous and artificial clashes."

Katz told Kommersant that he intends to appeal the bureau's decision. “The draft decision is completely ridiculous and ridiculous, and I think that this decision will be cancelled. We will appeal against it in the party arbitration and at the congress,” he said.

• Maxim Katz joined Yabloko in 2016 and brought about 300 of his supporters there. They repeatedly criticized Sergei Mitrokhin, who then headed the Moscow branch of the party.
• Mitrokhin accused his opponent of "raiding". In 2017, they tried to expel Katz from Yabloko on the recommendation of the Moscow branch of the party, but then the federal bureau reinstated him.
• the new head of the Moscow branch of Yabloko became In November 2019, Sergei Ivanenko . Supporters of Katz called the vote illegitimate.