Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin detained in Moscow

Prominent Russian politician Boris Nadezhdin was detained by police in Moscow on July 13 and taken to a police station. This information was confirmed by sources familiar with the situation and the politician's lawyer, Dmitry Trunin.

What was the reason for the detention?

A case has been opened against the politician under Article 20.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (public display of prohibited extremist symbols).

The investigation is reportedly based on the following factors:

• Link in an old post: A post published by Nadezhdin on his Telegram channel in November 2023 contained a link to a YouTube video.

• Mention of Navalny: The link led to a video on activist Elvira Vikhareva's channel titled "Candidate Against Putin 2024," which mentioned the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

• This post has now been deleted from the politician's channel.

A plan to exclude him from elections entirely?

This arrest and administrative case could be a serious blow to Nadezhdin's political activities. Just a few days earlier, on July 10, the Russian Ministry of Justice added him to the list of "foreign agents."

According to Russian law, individuals labeled as "foreign agents" are prohibited from participating as candidates in elections at all levels.

Lawyer Dmitry Trunin noted that candidates fined or arrested under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses are also highly likely to be barred from running. Furthermore, signatures collected for them may be declared invalid. Recently, Nadezhdin announced his candidacy for the State Duma elections, and his headquarters had begun collecting signatures in several cities.

Who is Boris Nadezhdin?

Boris Nadezhdin is a figure with many years of experience on the Russian political scene:

• 1999–2003: He served as a deputy in the Russian State Duma from the "Union of Right Forces" movement.

• In 2024: He attempted to register as a candidate in the Russian presidential election as an anti-war candidate.

• At that time, thousands of people across Russia queued to sign in his support, but the Central Election Commission declared a portion of the signatures "invalid" and refused to register him as a candidate.

Nadezhdin's latest arrest is viewed by experts as an attempt to completely restrict the activities of one of the last remaining anti-war politicians in Russia.