Boris Nadezhdin says he has left Russia and is now in Paris
In a Telegram video recorded before the Eiffel Tower Nadezhdin said he is "alive and free" but no longer in Russia.
Boris Nadezhdin announced that he has left Russia and appeared in a video message filmed before the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Message from Paris
In the Telegram clip Nadezhdin says, "I have good news. I am alive and free. Unfortunately, I am not in Russia. Now I have to think and figure out how to proceed." He is shown standing in front of the Eiffel Tower as he spoke.
Nadezhdin, 63, is a former deputy of the State Duma who withdrew from the parliamentary elections scheduled for September after a brief arrest and a fine on charges of alleged extremism. In July he was declared a "foreign agent."
He accused Russian authorities of trying to silence him and to push him out of political life. The move to leave Russia comes after months of pressure on critics of the Kremlin.
Earlier, Nadezhdin was the only opponent of the war in Ukraine who attempted to register a presidential bid against Vladimir Putin in the March 2024 election, but electoral authorities rejected his candidacy.
In his short statement from Paris he said he would need time to decide his next steps.
Photo: yabloko.ru / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
