A Russian opposition politician who was barred from operating within the presidential election has advised Sky Information he is not going to meet the identical destiny as Alexei Navalny as a result of he doesn’t cross political “pink strains”.
Boris Nadezhdin, who served within the State Duma between 1999 and 2003 and has been a long-term critic of the federal government, says he believes the actual fact he has by no means been personally crucial of Vladimir Putin has saved him alive and out of jail.
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He mentioned: “I feel that compared with individuals akin to Boris Nemtsov, who was killed and was my good friend for a few years, and Alexei Navalny and different individuals I do know, I’ve by no means crossed the ‘pink strains’.
“For instance I by no means criticised Putin personally, I’ve politically criticised him for 20 years however have by no means criticised what he’s like as a person.
“Secondly, I’ve by no means had any assist from international governments.
“These are pink strains in Russian politics and I’ve to do my job in a method that observes Russian legal guidelines.”
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Mr Nadezhdin added that he believes his anti-war stance is what prevented him getting on the poll paper.
He claims his polling projected he was on track to garner as much as 30% of the citizens’s assist earlier than his ambitions had been ended by Russia’s electoral fee.
Boris Nadezhdin. Pic: Reuters
He mentioned: “Once I started to gather the signatures of lots of of hundreds of individuals throughout Russia and my assist was rising each week.
“My assist was about 15% once I went to submit myself to the electoral fee, and polls confirmed it might rise to about 30%.
“I feel a considerable amount of my assist was due to my anti-war stance, and I feel this stance was why I wasn’t permitted to run in these elections.”
Voters are heading to the polls in Russia for a three-day presidential election that’s all however sure to increase President Putin’s rule by one other six years.
The election takes place in opposition to the backdrop of a ruthless crackdown that has crippled impartial media and outstanding rights teams and given him full management of the political system.
It additionally comes because the struggle in Ukraine rages on into its third 12 months.
