On Thursday, Russia’s Supreme Court mandated the dissolution of the small pro-business Party of Growth, which was established by Boris Titov, the former business ombudsman under President Vladimir Putin.

This decision came after the party submitted a request, stating to the Justice Ministry that it no longer fulfilled the legal prerequisites for regional representation, as reported by the state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.

Launched in 2016, the Party of Growth aimed to advocate for small and medium-sized enterprises and sought to elect politicians supportive of market principles to public office.

Despite having the Kremlin’s backing, the party struggled to gain a significant foothold, remaining a minor player in Russia’s heavily regulated political landscape. It participated in the State Duma elections in 2016 and 2021 but did not surpass the 5% barrier necessary for securing parliamentary representation.

Last year, the party merged with the New People, which was created in 2020 by entrepreneur Alexei Nechayev as a centrist and moderately liberal alternative targeting urban professionals, young voters, and small business owners. Titov currently leads New People’s federal political council, which now has 15 seats in the State Duma.

During Thursday’s court session, a representative from the Party of Growth mentioned that 32 of its regional branches had been either closed or integrated with other organizations, according to RBC. The remaining 43 branches do not meet the minimum requirement across at least half of Russia’s regions.

In recent years, the Supreme Court has also disbanded several other political parties for comparable reasons, including the Russian All-People’s Union.