Russian anti-war politician says he has fled the country

What the report says

Boris Nadezhdin, a Russian anti-war politician who tried to challenge Vladimir Putin in the last presidential race, said he has left Russia after being designated a “foreign agent” by the justice ministry. In a video posted from Paris, with the Eiffel Tower visible behind him, he said he was “alive and free” but not currently in the country. The BBC reported that he added he needed time to decide what to do next.

Nadezhdin, 63, rose to prominence two years ago when he attempted to run for president on a platform opposing the war in Ukraine. Russian electoral authorities later blocked his candidacy, saying the signatures submitted with his application were flawed. He had also said he planned to seek a seat in parliament, but the foreign-agent designation would have prevented him from taking part in elections.

According to the BBC, Moscow accused him of spreading false information about the Russian government and urging people to attend unauthorized rallies. He was also charged over the appearance of an image of Alexei Navalny in a reposted video, a case he dismissed as absurd. The development underlines the shrinking space for opposition politics in Russia, where critics of the Kremlin increasingly face legal pressure, exile, or imprisonment.