Anti-war Russian politician Boris Nadieżdin stakes claim for presidency despite 'miracle' required for registration

On January 31, Boris Nadieżdin submitted the required 105,000 supporting signatures from varying regions of Russia to the Central Election Commission. The commission has until February 10 to verify the signatures and decide whether to register the politician on the candidate list. The presidential elections in Russia are scheduled from March 15 to 17, 2024.

Boris Nadieżdin could possibly be the only politician openly opposing the war and running for the presidency of the Russian Federation. "I am a Russian patriot. And that is the undeniable truth! I genuinely want Russia to be great, but not in the same sense as Putin does, tossing Kindžals and Iskanders around [missiles used in the war in Ukraine - Editor's note]" he stated during an interview with journalists from the independent Russian service Meduza.

"Russia should be a free, peaceful country that everyone wants to visit, where people feel comfortable," he added.

"I'm apprehensive about how it could all end," Nadieżdin confessed. He termed the fact that he was allowed to gather signatures as a "miracle". Previously, it was a "miracle" that "people approached him", offering assistance in creating a website and fundraising for his campaign.

Russian commentators expressed doubt about the alleged miracles surrounding Nadieżdin's campaign. Publicist Ivan Preobrażenski posted on Radio Svoboda website, "Let's not kid ourselves, these aren't real elections. It's impossible currently. Besides Vladimir Putin, no other significant candidate has been registered by the authorities. Nadieżdin's registration is inconceivable. The rest have agreed to act as extras to make Putin's re-nomination campaign resemble an electoral race."

Sources from the Meduza portal report that the Kremlin is unprepared for the Central Election Commission to register anti-war politicians in the elections. The 60-year-old Boris Nadieżdin is a deputy of the Russian parliament - the Duma - and garnered attention with his anti-war statements on Russian state television, despite being constantly interrupted and shouted down by propagandists.

Thus far, the Russian election commission has registered the following candidates: nationalist Leonid Slutsak, communist Nikolai Kharitonov, and member of the New People party Vladislav Davankov. Several individuals who declared their candidacy retracted, pledging their support for Putin.

A procession of candidates, dubbed "clowns before Putin's performance" by journalists, passed through. Blogger and ecologist Anatoly Batashevsaid failed to gather signatures and withdrew his candidacy, explaining that it was better for the environment and saved 10 pine trees by avoiding the printing of support sheets.

Rada Russkikh, a 39-year-old beauty industry blogger, travelled to the election commission's headquarters from Yekaterinburg with a single box of signatures. She announced her withdrawal and stated that her goal was to enhance awareness for animal welfare, especially for dogs.

Against this backdrop, Boris Nadieżdin stands out positively. He recalled that in the summer of 2023, his application to run for the governor of the Moscow region was rejected. He claims that he warned those officials, "If you don't allow me to run, I will sort you out! I'll return as a presidential candidate."