The kremlin Is Weeding Out Inconvenient Candidates from the Election

russia is once again resorting to its usual pre-election tactics: independent candidates are being removed from the race en masse through legal provisions that automatically disqualify them from running. The formal pretext is almost always the same – “discrediting the army” or “displaying extremist symbols”.

In ufa, police accused denis malyshev, a city council candidate nominated by the “Civil Union”, of “discrediting the army”. No one has ever been able to find the report that allegedly served as the basis for the case. Previously, activists from the same organization had already been accused of organizing an “unsanctioned meeting”, even though it was simply a routine signature-gathering event.

In tomsk region, another party member – anton isakov – was similarly barred from running in the regional duma elections. He was arrested for 15 days for allegedly “displaying extremist symbols” – in fact, for his Facebook logo. Immediately afterward, he faced a new trial over a 2017 post. Two consecutive administrative penalties automatically bar him from appearing on the ballot – which is precisely why the whole thing was orchestrated.

The pressure did not spare even the oldest opposition party, “yabloko”. The election commission found violations in the paperwork of 25 out of 412 registered candidates, and lawyers were given just a few days to correct the documents. Some candidates had already given in in advance: maksim petlin, leader of the sverdlovsk branch, and physicist grey boltachov officially withdrew their candidacies due to constant pressure from siloviki.

In parallel, the police disrupted a meeting with voters organized by yekaterina duntseva, founder of the “rassvet” party. This incident fits into the broader picture: any attempt at independent political activity in russia runs up against a punitive apparatus that acts faster and more effectively than any election commission.

As a result, independent candidates in russian regions face not so much a competitive electoral race as systemic pressure that makes participation in the campaign impossible from the outset. Fines for posts from years ago, groundless arrests, and administrative protocols have become a standard – yet effective – tool for weeding out candidates from the ballot even before the official campaign begins.