Russian anti-war politician says he has fled the country

An anti-war politician who tried to challenge Vladimir Putin at the last Russian presidential election says he has fled the country after Moscow declared him a "foreign agent" last month.

Boris Nadezhdin posted a video standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

He said: "Hi everyone. I have some good news. I'm alive and free. Unfortunately, I'm not in Russia at the moment."

Nadezhdin, 63, came to prominence two years ago when he tried to stand for the presidency on an anti-war platform, but was barred because electoral authorities ruled signatures he had submitted were flawed.

He was designated a "foreign agent" by the justice ministry last month after saying he would run as a candidate in September's Duma (parliamentary) elections.

Nadezhdin was accused of spreading false information about the Russian government and calling on people to take part in unauthorised rallies.

The label would have prevented him from taking part in the elections.

He was charged with "displaying extremist symbols" – a reference to an image of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which appeared for 10 seconds in a video reposted by Nadezhdin's social media accounts in November 2023. He called the charge ridiculous.

Last week, he told BBC Russian from an undisclosed location that his prospects were "vague" after he was forced to abandon his campaign to run for parliament.

"If you're a politician, you should participate in politics while you have the opportunity. How do you participate in politics? By participating in elections," he said.

Then on Monday he posted a video to Telegram filmed in Paris, saying: "Right now, I need to get my bearings and figure out what to do next. I'll write about my plans later."

In early 2024, Nadezhdin attempted to run as a presidential candidate on an anti-war manifesto, calling for an end to the hostilities in Ukraine.

At the time, he told the BBC that he was supported by "dozens of millions of people" who did not want "Russia to be in this track of authoritarianism and militarism".

He also said that if he was elected president his first task would be to "stop the conflict with Ukraine, and then to restore normal relations between Russia and the Western community".

However, his criticism of Putin remained measured, leading some to speculate the Kremlin would allow him to run so as to give the election the illusion of being fair.

Nadezhdin was eventually prevented from standing by the Russian electoral commission weeks before the vote took place, on the grounds that more than 15% of the signatures he submitted with his candidate application were flawed.

He contested this but was ultimately unable to run, as were any other credible opposition figures.

On 18 March 2024, Putin claimed a landslide victory which ushered in a fifth term in office.

The next presidential election is scheduled for 2030, when Putin will be 78. A constitutional amendment passed in 2020 reset his term limits, allowing him to remain in power until 2036.

Earlier this year, when the Kremlin began restricting internet access for millions across the country and Russia's economic crisis deepened, Nadezhdin told the BBC that people were "beginning to understand that there is a direct connection between their everyday problems, like healthcare, food prices, problems with internet and the politics of Vladimir Putin."

The Kremlin now wields near-total control over the Russian political landscape, and it is unlikely that anybody would be allowed to challenge Putin's rule.

The opposition figures who could have offered Russian voters an alternative are either in jail, in exile or dead.

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