Boris Nadezhdin, the Russian opposition politician who mounted a pro-peace presidential bid in 2024, announced on Monday that he has left the country. In a video recorded in front of the Eiffel Tower and published on his Telegram channel, Nadezhdin said: “The good news is I’m alive and free. But sadly, not yet in Russia.” He added that he would now “take stock of the situation and figure out how to go on living” and promised to provide updates on his plans.

His departure follows a rapid sequence of measures by Russian authorities that effectively ended his ability to participate in electoral politics. On 10 July, the Ministry of Justice added Nadezhdin to its register of “foreign agents,” a designation that legally bars him from seeking public office. Three days later, a court in the Moscow region fined him 1,000 roubles under the administrative code for displaying “extremist” symbols, after he shared a video featuring the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The authorities also imposed a travel ban linked to outstanding debts, and bailiffs were pursuing a claim of nearly 1.5 million roubles against him. Nadezhdin had launched a campaign for a State Duma seat in a single-mandate district near Moscow, but on 19 July he suspended it, writing that “the possibilities to legally engage in opposition politics in Russia are exhausted.”

Nadezhdin, 61, first entered federal politics as a State Duma deputy for the Union of Right Forces from 1999 to 2003, later serving as an adviser to former prime minister Boris Nemtsov and an assistant to former prime minister Sergei Kiriyenko, who is now a senior Kremlin official. His 2024 presidential run, under the banner of the Civic Initiative party, attracted queues of supporters across Russia, but the Central Election Commission refused to register his candidacy, citing an unacceptably high proportion of invalid signatures. The campaign nonetheless raised his profile as one of the few voices openly opposing the war in Ukraine from within the system.

It remains unclear how Nadezhdin left Russia, given that he had stated on 16 July that a travel ban had been imposed and that he intended to appeal it. His lawyer confirmed the departure but did not disclose details. In an interview last month, Nadezhdin said he and his family were weighing whether to leave, acknowledging the threat of imprisonment. He now says he will assess his situation before deciding on his next steps.