Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin has abandoned his bid for a seat in the State Duma elections scheduled for 18–20 September, saying he has been "silenced" and "pushed out of politics" after a week of mounting legal pressure from authorities.
Nadezhdin, who was designated a "foreign agent" by the Russian Justice Ministry, was on Friday convicted of displaying "extremist symbols" for sharing a 2023 video clip featuring Aleksei Navalny. Writing on Telegram, he declared that his ability to legally engage as an opposition politician in Russia "has been exhausted".
Nadezhdin was previously barred from the presidential ballot by Russia's Supreme Court two years ago, after briefly emerging as one of the few anti-war figures permitted to mount a campaign.