Boris Nadezhdine, the only opponent of the offensive in Ukraine who tried To his candidacy in Russia's presidential election in March, told AFP on Wednesday he hoped the election would mark the “beginning of the end” for Vladimir Putin.
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The veteran of political life, little known to the general public, has generated unexpected enthusiasm in recent days.
Tens of thousands of Russians mobilized to sign the petition necessary To his candidacy for the vote, which will take place over three days, March 15-17.
He has few illusions because the re-election of Putin, who has been in power since 2000, seems obvious.
“I know it will be difficult to beat Putin on March 17 this year. “The power is on his side, the security system is on his side, and a significant number of people who have never seen anything but Putin on TV are on his side,” said this 60-year-old man with a goatee and a tight beard Hair -cut gray hair.
“But I hope that March 17 may mark the end, the beginning of the end of the Putin era,” he added as he welcomed AFP to his modest home, on the second floor of a 1980s Soviet building in Dolgoproudny , a small town twenty kilometers from Moscow, where he was an elected local official.
The only chance
“If Putin wins and I come second, the country will be completely different (…) because I will be someone supported by tens of millions of people,” is still hoping the opponent, who says he will enter the race in October Gone because no one more famous than him dared to take the plunge.
In his opinion, if around 120,000 Russians signed his petition of support, it was because a large part of the population wanted change.
And signing his candidacy is a legal form of protest in a country where Kremlin critics have been mercilessly suppressed, especially since the attack on Ukraine began two years ago.
“I am the only candidate still in the race who systematically criticizes President Putin's policies and advocates ending the special military operation,” he said, using the euphemism necessary for the offensive in Ukraine, the terms “War” and “war”. “Invasion” is punishable by prison.
“My candidacy gives people a unique opportunity to legally protest against current policies,” notes the former adviser to Boris Nemtsov, an opponent assassinated in 2015. “I didn't expect such support, imagine what support I would get if they let me keep talking TV!”
“I think that would be the only real reason why the authorities could try not To me as a candidate,” adds the man, who says he has known Vladimir Putin since 1997 and has been against him and the ex’s arrest since 2003 -Oligarch opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The nightmare”
Mr Nadejdine has until January 31 to submit at least 100,000 initials of support to the electoral commission. However, the latter can reject his candidacy if it considers these support lists to be incorrect or falsified.
With regard to Ukraine, the opponent describes the Russian offensive as a “nightmare” and sees it as a “personal decision” by Putin, who is “concentrating too much power.”
The opponent assures that as president he will end the conflict, negotiate a solution with both Kiev and the West, put an end to the “militarization” of Russia and release “all political prisoners.”
However, he does not comment on the future of the Ukrainian territories, which make up around 20% of the country and which Putin has called for annexation.
“I am taking part in the elections to make Russia a peaceful and free country, a country where people are not imprisoned for their beliefs (…), a country that does not try to occupy its territory with its army expand,” he emphasized.
Boris Nadejdine says he has no confidence in the electoral system, but points out that the more citizens vote, the harder the result is to falsify.
“I don’t know of any good way other than elections to change a country, to change power,” he said, judging that “revolutions (…) coups are worse.”
Asked why he was not targeted by the Russian repression machine, Mr Nadezhdine said he did not know but assumed the Kremlin did not see him as a threat.
“I think they know who I am and don't seem to think I'm much of a threat. But I can only advise,” he says.