Anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin says he has left Russia

Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who had planned to run in the country’s upcoming State Duma election before being detained and disqualified from the race, has left Russia, he announced in a video on his Telegram channel.

The clip, posted on Monday morning, shows Nadezhdin standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. “Hello everybody!” he says. “Good news: I’m alive and free. But alas, not in Russia for now. Now I need to get my bearings and figure out my next steps. I’ll write about my plans later on.”

Nadezhdin announced the launch of his State Duma campaign in April 2026. On 10 July, shortly after he submitted his campaign documents, Russia's Justice Ministry declared him a “foreign agent”, barring him from running for office. He was detained soon after and fined for “displaying extremist symbols” over a social media video featuring the face of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

On 19 July, he announced the official end of his campaign, saying he was unwilling to put his family and supporters at further risk.

Once a little-known liberal who had last held a national political office more than two decades ago, Nadezhdin gained public prominence in 2024 when he entered Russia’s presidential race as an anti-war candidate. More than 100,000 Russians signed petitions backing his candidacy, but he was ultimately barred from the race.