Russian politician Boris Nadezhdin, who has openly called for a halt to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, received the 100,000 signatures by January 23 that are needed to be registered as a candidate for the March 17 presidential election. The Uzbekistan-born 60-year-old called on supporters to continue to collect signatures, especially in remote regions. Earlier, associates of imprisoned opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and self-exiled opposition figures Maksim Kats and Mikhail Khodorkovsky backed Nadezhdin's candidacy even though expectations are that the vote will be easily won by incumbent Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since 1999. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Anti-War Nadezhdin Collects Enough Signatures To Register As Russian Presidential Candidate
Bois Nadezhdin (center) meets with supporters in St. Petersburg earlier this month.