MOSCOW — Russian liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who has been a vocal opponent of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine and previously sought to challenge President Vladimir Putin at the ballot box, was taken into police custody Monday before being released the same day.
Nadezhdin, 63, shared on his Telegram channel that officers brought him to a police station in Dolgoprudny, a town on the northern outskirts of Moscow where he resides. After being held for several hours, he was let go and told to appear in court later this week. He faces an administrative charge of displaying “extremist symbols,” an offense that could result in a fine or up to 15 days behind bars.
The accusation traces back to a 2023 online interview in which Nadezhdin briefly held up a photograph of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who at the time was serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges that were widely viewed as politically motivated, according to Zona.media, an independent digital news outlet.
Navalny died on February 16, 2024, in a remote Arctic penal colony. Russian officials maintained he fell ill after a walk and died of natural causes. However, five European nations issued a joint statement earlier this year claiming Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin using a rare and deadly toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs.
Just three days ago, Russia’s Justice Ministry added Nadezhdin to its list of “foreign agents” — a label that carries deeply negative associations in Russia and subjects those named to heightened government oversight.
A former member of parliament with liberal leanings, Nadezhdin had publicly demanded an end to the fighting in Ukraine and attempted to enter the 2024 presidential race against Putin. He was ultimately blocked from appearing on the ballot after Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that more than 9,000 signatures collected by his campaign were invalid, which was enough to disqualify him from running.
Despite the “foreign agent” designation — which legally bars him from seeking office — Nadezhdin has stated his intention to run as an independent candidate in September’s parliamentary election.
Since Russian forces entered Ukraine in February 2022, authorities have dramatically intensified their suppression of dissent and freedom of expression. Rights organizations, independent news outlets, civil society groups, LGBTQ+ activists, and certain religious communities have all been targeted. Hundreds of individuals have been imprisoned, and thousands more have left Russia altogether.
