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Speaking out against the war in Ukraine is rare in Russia, especially among politicians. NPR Moscow correspondent Charles Maynes recently spoke with one politician who's trying to change that.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: In Russia's current political scene, Boris Nadezhdin would be the first to admit he's no flamethrower.
BORIS NADEZHDIN: (Through interpreter) I'm not a guy calling for revolutions or for people to go into the street. That's not me.
MAYNES: But he is the rare politician in Russia who says publicly that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a terrible idea. So much so he launched a campaign in 2024 to challenge Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the presidency running on an anti-war platform.
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NADEZHDIN: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: Tens of thousands of Russians from across the country signed petitions to get Nadezhdin on the ballot only to see him disqualified on a technicality.
NADEZHDIN: (Through interpreter) The support was immense, and I think I would have gotten tens of millions of votes, but they banned us just as our polling numbers started to go up.
MAYNES: Nadezhdin has since launched a campaign to run for the Duma, Russia's parliament, in elections this September, but he's not naive.
NADEZHDIN: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: He says he announced his candidacy over a year ago to test the reaction of the authorities.
NADEZHDIN: (Through interpreter) When nothing happened, I realized that in the Kremlin, they probably decided just let him run.
MAYNES: Until, apparently, it seems, they didn't.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: The government designated him a foreign agent last week, as Russia's exiled TV Rain reported, a move that bars him from holding office. Then on Monday, Nadezhdin was briefly detained and now stands accused of sharing links to extremist content online, a jailable offense. He calls the charges absurd, the prospect of prison time, less so.
NADEZHDIN: (Through interpreter) I'm not a young man. I am in my 60s. I have heart trouble. For me, prison means a quick and certain death.
MAYNES: He says the new pressure on him is a sign of growing pressure inside the Kremlin, with polls showing a majority of Russians wanting the war to end. Nadezhdin says unpopular government restrictions on the internet, incessant Ukrainian drone strikes and resulting gas shortages nationwide have given his anti-war message new potency.
NADEZHDIN: (Through interpreter) Imagine a candidate in the Duma who ran for president with a platform that Putin should leave and the war should end.
MAYNES: For now, Nadezhdin hopes the court will clear him of the extremism-related charges. A key hearing happens tomorrow, and if he loses, he doesn't rule out fleeing the country, assuming he still can.
NADEZHDIN: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: Either way, Nadezhdin worries that Russia is on the precipice, with an unpopular war at a stalemate, winter looming with gas in short supply and a Kremlin leader seemingly determined to stay the course. It's why, he argues, it's all the more important that someone offers an alternative.
Charles Maynes, NPR News, Moscow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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