Politician Boris Nadezhdin said on his Telegram channel that he is ending his participation in the election campaign. He explained that after being designated a “foreign agent” and fined under the article on displaying extremist symbols, he no longer has any opportunity to run for office.
According to Nadezhdin, he will not submit the collected signatures to the election commission. He said the funds raised during the campaign would be transferred to his campaign staff, after which the campaign would be formally ended.
“For me, the opportunities to engage legally in opposition politics in Russia have been exhausted. I hope this is temporary. I am not prepared to put at risk those who supported me and took part in the election campaign — my family, my headquarters, the signature collectors, my supporters. Now I need to think about how to live дальше. I hope I remain alive and free. I am sure everything will be fine, though not immediately!” the politician wrote.
What led to the decision
On Friday, a court fined Nadezhdin 1,000 rubles under the article on displaying extremist symbols. The reason was a link to a stream in which a photograph of Alexei Navalny appeared for about ten seconds. As noted, this deprives the politician of the right to run in the State Duma elections.
In addition, Nadezhdin was banned from traveling abroad. The protocol over Navalny’s photograph, however, was not the only obstacle preventing him from taking part in the election.
On July 10, Russia’s Justice Ministry added Nadezhdin to the register of “foreign agents.” Since 2024, people with that status have been barred from running in elections at any level, which also leaves the politician unable to continue his campaign.