Russian anti-war politician Nadezhdin arrested

Anti-war Russian politician Boris Nadezhdin, who is trying to run against President Vladimir Putin in the 2024 presidential election, said he was detained by police days after being identified as a “foreign agent” by authorities.

Nadezhdin, a former liberal member of Russia’s parliament from 1999 to 2003, wrote on Telegram: “The police arrived” and he was taken to the police station in his hometown of Dolgoprudny, north of Moscow.

Russian media quoted Nadezhdin’s lawyer as saying that the politician was accused of displaying an extremist symbol.

It was not clear which symbol the accusations were related to.

Nadezhdin, an opponent of the war in Ukraine, tried to register as a candidate in Russia’s 2024 presidential election but was blocked by the election commission, which cited errors among the 105,000 voter signatures he submitted.

The Justice Ministry accused Nadezhdin of spreading disinformation about decisions taken by Russian authorities and calling for unauthorized demonstrations and vigils.

Last Friday, Nadejdin was designated by Russia’s justice ministry as a “foreign agent,” a legal category widely used against Kremlin critics.

Nadejdin still plans to run in the Duma parliamentary elections in September.

The few opposition figures who are still free in Russia complained about the increase in the already widespread repression ahead of the elections planned to be held on September 18-20.

Despite widespread discontent among many Russians over the war, the Kremlin-backed United Russia party aims to maintain its ruling position in the elections.

Russian political scientist Alexander Kynev said the pressure on Nadezhdin was a signal that the government aimed to deter those with opposing views from participating in Duma elections.

with DPA