He spoke out against the war in Ukraine, the Russian politician suffers, is arrested by the authorities

An anti-war politician who tried to challenge Vladimir Putin in the recent Russian presidential election has been arrested, according to his social media account.

Boris Nadezhdin was taken to a police station in a town west of Moscow on Monday morning, weeks after announcing he would run as a candidate in September's Duma (parliamentary) elections.

"They took him from his home. The reason for his detention is unknown," his press secretary told BBC Russian.

Last week, Nadezhdin was declared a "foreign agent" by the Justice Ministry and accused of spreading false information about the Russian government and calling on people to participate in unauthorized rallies.

The label would have prevented him from participating in the September elections.

"What's there to say? I will continue to live and fight. This is unlikely to change anything in my political biography. I will continue to run for the State Duma and collect signatures," he commented.

In early 2024, Nadezhdin attempted to run as a presidential candidate with an anti-war manifesto, calling for an end to hostilities in Ukraine.

At the time, he told the BBC that he was supported by "tens of millions of people" who did not want "Russia to be on this path of authoritarianism and militarism."

He also said that if elected president, his first task would be to "stop the conflict with Ukraine and then restore normal relations between Russia and the Western community."

However, his criticism of Putin remained measured, leading some to speculate that the Kremlin would allow him to run in order to give the election the illusion of being fair.

Nadezhdin was ultimately barred from standing by the Russian election commission several weeks before the vote was to take place, on the grounds that more than 15% of the signatures he submitted with his candidacy application were incorrect.

He opposed this, but in the end he was unable to run, like every other credible opposition figure.

On March 18, 2024, Putin claimed a landslide victory that brought a fifth term in office. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2030, when Putin will be 78 years old.

A constitutional amendment passed in 2020 restored his term limits, allowing him to stay in power until 2036.

Earlier this year, as the Kremlin began restricting internet access for millions of people across the country and Russia's economic crisis deepened, Nadezhdin told the BBC that people were "starting to understand that there is a direct connection between their everyday problems, like healthcare, food prices, internet problems, and Vladimir Putin's policies."

The Kremlin now exercises almost total control over the Russian political landscape, and it is unlikely that anyone will be allowed to challenge Putin's rule.

Opposition figures who could have offered Russian voters an alternative are either in prison, in exile, or dead.

The GeoPost