Russian police detain opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin after he was barred from presidential and parliamentary ballots

Boris Nadezhdin was taken to a police station in Dolgoprudny, a town west of Moscow, on Monday morning. His press secretary told the BBC that officers removed him from his home. Nadezhdin had announced days earlier that he would stand as a candidate in September's Duma elections.

The BBC reported that Russia's justice ministry designated him a foreign agent last week and accused him of spreading false information about the government and urging participation in unauthorized rallies. The designation would have barred him from the September ballot. " In early 2024 Nadezhdin sought to run for president on an anti-war platform that called for ending hostilities in Ukraine.

The Russian electoral commission blocked his candidacy after determining that more than 15 percent of the signatures he submitted were invalid. Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the March 2024 election and began a fifth term. Nadezhdin served as a liberal member of parliament from 1999 to 2003.

Russia's next presidential election is scheduled for 2030.