Politician Boris Nadezhdin announced that he was ending his campaign for the State Duma and said he no longer saw a way to engage legally in opposition politics in Russia.
The decision followed a series of measures taken against him.
On July 10, Russia’s Justice Ministry added Nadezhdin to the register of “foreign agents.” He was later detained and charged administratively with “displaying extremist symbols” over a post linking to a video in which a photograph of Alexei Navalny appeared briefly.
A court fined him 1,000 rubles. The administrative penalty also created an obstacle to participating in elections.
Nadezhdin said he did not want to expose his family, campaign staff, volunteers and supporters to additional risk.
In 2024, he attempted to run for president on an anti-war platform, but Russia’s Central Election Commission refused to register him.