Ahead of the State Duma elections, at least 21 Russian politicians have faced accusations of displaying extremist or Nazi symbols. This was reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe. Such accusations prevent those targeted from taking part in the elections as candidates.
Among those prosecuted, 14 people are affiliated with the Yabloko party, four with the Communist Party, and one with A Just Russia. The list also includes Tomsk activist Anton Isakov and Moscow region politician Boris Nadezhdin. Both had planned to run as independent candidates.
The publication says that in most cases the protocols were drawn up over material posted online, including photos of Alexei Navalny, symbols associated with his projects, and videos from his funeral.
In 18 of the 21 cases, courts imposed minimum fines of 1,000 to 2,000 rubles. Although the sums were relatively small, the accusations themselves became an obstacle to participation in the parliamentary election campaign.
Earlier, sources cited by Meduza said that pressure on Boris Nadezhdin was driven by the security services, which they said were trying to clear the political field ahead of the State Duma elections.