Russian opposition politician and Kremlin critic Boris Nadezhdin has fled to Paris as Moscow increases its crackdown on dissent. Nadezhdin, an anti-war politician who openly criticized President Vladimir Putin and the offensive in Ukraine, announced his arrival in France following a series of restrictive measures by Russian authorities.
Nadezhdin was recently detained and fined before being barred from running in the parliamentary elections scheduled for September. The Russian authorities had labelled him a foreign agent, part of a broader clampdown that has left many of the country's critics either in jail, in exile, or dead.
The veteran liberal politician first gained international prominence during the 2024 presidential election. His long-shot campaign against Vladimir Putin had unexpectedly gathered momentum before electoral authorities blocked him from running.
Confirming his safety in a social media video showing him in front of the Eiffel Tower, Nadezhdin stated, "Good news: I'm alive and free. Unfortunately, not in Russia for the time being."