Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the dissolution of the small pro-business Party of Growth, founded by President Vladimir Putin’s former business ombudsman Boris Titov.
The ruling followed a request from the party itself, which told the Justice Ministry it no longer met legal requirements for regional representation, the state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Founded in 2016, Party of Growth positioned itself as a defender of small and medium-sized businesses and aimed to elect market-oriented politicians into public office.
Despite enjoying Kremlin approval, it failed to gain traction and remained a marginal force in Russia’s tightly controlled political system. The party participated in the 2016 and 2021 State Duma elections but never cleared the 5% threshold for parliamentary seats.
Last year, it merged with the New People party, founded in 2020 by businessman Alexei Nechayev as a centrist, moderately liberal force targeting urban professionals, small business owners and younger voters. Titov now chairs New People’s federal political council, and the party currently holds 15 seats in the State Duma.
At Thursday’s hearing, a Party of Growth representative said 32 of its regional branches had been closed or merged into other structures, according to RBC. Its remaining 43 branches fall short of the minimum required in at least half of Russia’s regions.
The Supreme Court has disbanded several other political parties in recent years for similar reasons, including the Russian All-People’s Union.
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