July 20 (Reuters) – Boris Nadezhdin, a Russian anti-war politician who had hoped to stand in parliamentary elections later this year, has announced he is ending his role in opposition politics for now, blaming what he said were politically-motivated legal setbacks.
Nadezhdin, 63, a former liberal lawmaker, has been an outspoken critic of Moscow’s war in Ukraine but – like some other opposition politicians – had tried to work within the rules of Russia’s tightly-controlled political system to be able to continue to voice his views publicly.
In a statement, Nadezhdin said he had ran out of political road however, after a series of setbacks. He received a small fine on Friday for displaying “extremist symbols” and was this month designated a “foreign agent” by the justice ministry.
Both rulings disqualified him from running for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in September elections, his statement – issued on Sunday – said. He said he had also been banned from leaving Russia.
“They are silencing me, forcing me out of politics and making my life extremely difficult,” Nadezhdin said. “For me, the possibilities for legally engaging in opposition politics in Russia have been exhausted.”
Pro-Kremlin politicians accuse the West of trying to destabilise Russia before the elections and say that some censorship is necessary to safeguard national unity at a time when Moscow is locked in an existential struggle over Ukraine.
(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn)
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