Key facts
- Boris Nadezhdin, a Russian anti-war politician, has ended his run for parliamentary elections.
- He cited politically motivated legal setbacks as the reason for his withdrawal.
- Nadezhdin was fined for displaying "extremist symbols" and designated a "foreign agent."
- These designations disqualify him from running in the September elections for the State Duma.
- He also stated he is banned from leaving Russia.
Boris Nadezhdin, a Russian anti-war politician and former liberal lawmaker, has announced he is ending his bid to stand in parliamentary elections later this year, citing a series of what he described as politically motivated legal setbacks. Nadezhdin, 63, stated that he received a small fine on Friday for displaying "extremist symbols" and was designated a "foreign agent" by the justice ministry this month.
According to Nadezhdin's statement, these rulings disqualify him from running for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in the September elections. He also indicated that he has been banned from leaving Russia. Nadezhdin expressed that his opportunities for legally engaging in opposition politics in Russia have been exhausted, stating, "They are silencing me, forcing me out of politics and making my life extremely difficult."
Pro-Kremlin politicians have accused the West of attempting to destabilize Russia before the elections and have defended certain censorship measures as necessary for safeguarding national unity during the conflict in Ukraine.