Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin says he will contest an election for mayor of Moscow in September.
In a video statement uploaded on Facebook on April 11, Yashin accused the incumbent Mayor Sergei Sobyanin of corruption.
The head of Moscow's Krasnoselsky municipal district, Yashin also said he would take part in election primaries to garner public support.
Yashin is an ally of Kremlin critic and opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and the Solidarnost (Solidarity) movement, which was co-founded by Yashin in 2008.
In a post on his website, Navalny said Yashin' decision to run for mayor was "good news" and backed his ally’s decision to contest the primaries.
Navalny wrote in his post: "Who do we need? A strong candidate who fights for victory. And the victory in the primaries will show us who is a better fit to compete in a real election."
The mayoral election is scheduled for September 9 and will be contested by Sobyanin.
