LONDON (Reuters) – A number of campaign staffers and volunteers working for disqualified Russian presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin have been arrested in what he described as a government attempt to hinder efforts to monitor the upcoming presidential election.
One of Nadezhdin’s staffers claimed he was physically assaulted in the days leading up to the March 15-17 election. Despite Nadezhdin admitting weeks earlier that he would not be on the ballot, his anti-war political offices remained active as he sought to train election observers and carry out exit polls.
Russian media reports and Nadezhdin’s team revealed that at least 17 of his associates have been taken into custody since he was banned from running in February. These arrests have taken place as President Vladimir Putin is expected to secure another six years in power this week.
The Vladivostok branch of Nadezhdin’s campaign reported that at least three staffers were detained on Wednesday, with the whereabouts of two still unknown. One of those arrested, Igor Krasnov, the head of the local branch, was sentenced to six days’ administrative arrest under an anti-LGBT propaganda law.
In response to Krasnov’s detention, Nadezhdin stated, “The real motive behind these actions by ‘law enforcement officers’ is to prevent individuals from participating in the elections, including observing at polling stations and conducting exit polls.”
Nadezhdin also mentioned similar incidents occurring in Moscow and Stavropol, although he did not provide further details. Rights group OVD-Info reported that an 18-year-old volunteer in Vladivostok was also jailed for six days on Wednesday.
Later that same day, Konstantin Larionov, the head of Nadezhdin’s branch in Kaluga, was reportedly assaulted by unidentified individuals while returning home from work. Pictures posted by Larionov on Telegram showed him receiving medical attention for bruises on his forehead, arms, and knees.
A spokesperson for Nadezhdin stated on Telegram that the attack was linked to Larionov’s political activities and demanded a thorough investigation and punishment for those responsible.
Campaigning on a platform focused on ending the war in Ukraine, Nadezhdin’s brief presidential campaign garnered significant support among predominantly young, urban Russians. Despite the overwhelming public support, his candidacy was disqualified by the Central Election Commission due to alleged irregularities in the signatures collected.
Nadezhdin’s political maneuvers, even from the sidelines, have been a source of frustration for the Kremlin, which firmly asserts that Putin is the preferred choice of the Russian populace. The image of thousands, including Nadezhdin, paying their respects to the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny earlier in the month further irked the Kremlin.
Reports indicated that 14 staffers from Nadezhdin’s Voronezh headquarters were unable to attend Navalny’s funeral on March 1 after some were detained while attempting to travel to Moscow by train. Several individuals received brief jail sentences, while others were apprehended by traffic police as they tried to leave Voronezh for Moscow by car.
(Reporting and writing by Lucy Papachristou; editing by Mark Heinrich)
