Atamanchuk retained his participation in the elections and announced the dates of the debates with Zatulin.

The Sochi candidate for the State Duma from the "Yabloko" party, Vladimir Atamanchuk, reported that he will participate in television and radio debates with United Russia member and current deputy Konstantin Zatulin on September 1 and 7. Atamanchuk retained his status as a candidate due to the peculiarities of the legislation, the lawyer explained.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 5, Vladimir Atamanchuk, registered as a candidate for the State Duma in the South single-member district No. 54, told about the refusals of the heads of Sochi institutions to hold meetings with voters. He then stated that he intends to participate in debates with the current State Duma deputy, United Russia representative Konstantin Zatulin.

Atamanchuk complained about obstacles from the authorities

As reported by Vladimir Atamanchuk, the Sochi election commission approved the dates for two broadcasts with Konstantin Zatulin – September 1 and 7. From August 25, local television channels and radio stations also began broadcasting campaign videos of candidates lasting from 15 to 30 seconds.

"I am 74 years old, I walk, I have no car. I meet people right on the street. At the same time, the internet connection constantly fails: in eight out of ten cases during the campaign, I lose connection, and my mailbox on Yandex is blocked without explanation. For me, this is a clear signal of how the authorities fear honest elections," Atamanchuk told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".

The candidate also spoke about the problem of conducting funds for campaigning through the bank. According to him, the operation was initially processed as a regular payment from an individual, not as a payment from the election account.

"The bank was obliged to transfer the money for the campaign through the candidate's account, but they processed it as a regular payment from an individual, claiming that there was no account. When I presented the contract with the account number, they had to return the money and process it again. Such "mistakes" are a well-established scheme for canceling a candidate's registration," Atamanchuk believes.

After distributing 10,000 leaflets in the Lazarevsky district, residents began to contact Atamanchuk and pass him questions for the upcoming debates, the candidate reported.

One of the questions concerns the safety of Sochi after drone attacks.

"If military actions pose a direct threat to the city, why has the cessation of conflict and negotiations not become Zatulin's main priority as a deputy from Sochi?" voters formulated the question.

Another question concerns Zatulin's apartment in Spain. In addition, residents suggested asking him about problems with water supply, sewage, garbage disposal, and traffic jams, which, in their opinion, have persisted since previous election campaigns.

Respondents to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent stated that they intend to support Vladimir Atamanchuk.

"I got tired of throwing Zatulin's campaign materials out of my mailbox and didn't want to go to the elections. But when I saw Atamanchuk's leaflet with a peaceful agenda, I changed my mind. I don't know him personally, but I support his ideas," said 32-year-old plumber Viktor to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

"I know Atamanchuk personally; he helped consult my child. He is a responsive and honest person. I will definitely go vote for him," said 28-year-old maid Irina to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

"I will go vote out of respect for his courage. I understand that playing with the system is hard, but my vote could be decisive. I believe in the best," said 43-year-old entrepreneur Ignat to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

"When I read the leaflet, I even cried. Simple words about peace touch the soul. There is a huge demand for changes for peace in society," noted 49-year-old housewife Svetlana to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

The survey conducted is not representative and reflects only the opinions of individual residents.

A lawyer explained Atamanchuk's status after the removal of "Yabloko"

Vladimir Atamanchuk retained his registration as a candidate. Elections to the State Duma are held under a mixed system: half of the deputies are elected from a single federal electoral district (party lists), and the other half from single-member electoral districts (specific individuals), explained election law specialist lawyer Elena Marchenko.

"The court's decision to cancel the registration of the federal list of the "Yabloko" party applies only to candidates who were on the unified list. Single-member candidates, running in separate districts and having received official registration from the district election commission, retain their status as registered candidates. A vote cast for Atamanchuk in the single-member ballot is legal and will be counted in the tally," she told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

To win, a candidate does not need to receive more than half of the votes, the lawyer added. "In elections in single-member districts, there is no turnout threshold or requirement to gain 50 percent plus one vote. The winner is the candidate who receives a simple majority of votes from the number of voters who came to the polling stations," she explained.

According to Marchenko, an important condition for protecting the results will be the presence of independent observers and representatives of the candidate at polling stations.