Kremlin tightens domestic control and monitors Serbian elections ahead of fall polls

Russian authorities are heightening internal political restrictions ahead of next month's parliamentary elections. A court recently outlawed Yabloko, the nation's remaining legal anti-war opposition party, and handed senior member Lev Schlosberg an 11-year prison sentence. Concurrently, reports indicate growing public anxiety over a potential post-election draft, prompting some citizens to sell assets and prepare to flee abroad as casualty figures in Ukraine rise.

These developments unfold alongside historical late-summer political volatility in Moscow, often dubbed "Black August," and persistent questions regarding succession plans for 73-year-old President Vladimir Putin. Beyond its borders, Moscow is actively issuing warnings about possible Western-backed "color revolutions" surrounding forthcoming elections in Serbia, aiming to protect its strategic foothold in the Western Balkans.

Sources: Avaz, Danas, Klix, N1, Vijesti