Boris Nadezhdin has undertaken notable risks in challenging Vladimir Putin for the upcoming presidential election in March. In voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine and holding Putin responsible for regressing Russia, Nadezhdin advocates for the country to seek Western investment and restore dialogue with the United States and Europe.
Despite his stance, Nadezhdin is aware that if granted a spot on the ballot, many may perceive him as a strategic move to lend legitimacy to the electoral contest. Challenging Putin’s hold on power proves difficult, as even willing opponents are often co-opted, ignored, or viewed as Kremlin pawns. Grassroots organizers may face exile or extended imprisonment.
Nadezhdin, a 60-year-old town councilor with a history in Putin’s administration, acknowledges skepticism due to his past associations. He remains in contact with high-level officials and has criticized Putin on national television, expressing concern that Russia is becoming a vassal of China after being isolated from the West due to the Ukraine invasion.
Insisting on his viability as a candidate, Nadezhdin positions himself as a principled opponent of Putin’s policies. In an interview, he states, “I am running for president as a principled opponent of the current president’s policies… The way of Putin is awful for the country, for the future of their children and grandchildren.”
Whether Nadezhdin can overcome regulatory hurdles to secure a spot on the ballot remains to be determined. Only three candidates from pro-Kremlin parties represented in Parliament have been cleared to run against Putin.
Nadezhdin lacks backing in the legislature and must gather at least 100,000 signatures from over 40 regions to meet the required threshold for parties without deputies in the State Duma. Another pro-peace candidate, Yekaterina Duntsova, faced ballot obstruction last month, with election commissioners citing errors in her paperwork, and her appeal to Russia’s supreme court proved unsuccessful.
Putin has sidelined most credible challengers, with prominent figure Alexei Navalny incarcerated in a remote penal colony, serving multiple sentences totaling more than 30 years. Navalny survived a poisoning attempt in 2020, and he and his allies assert that his convictions are politically motivated.
Other potential candidates either reside abroad or have been labeled as foreign agents. The election outcome appears predictable, with Putin consolidating control over the process.
