Boris B. Nadezhdin, a prominent Russian opposition politician known for his outspoken criticism of the war in Ukraine, has fled Russia, announcing his departure from abroad on Monday. At 63, Nadezhdin was one of the few antiwar figures in Russia's political landscape who had not been imprisoned for dissenting views.

In a video recorded near the Eiffel Tower, Nadezhdin stated that he was “alive and free, but, unfortunately, not yet in Russia.” When reached for comment, he indicated the need to address “everyday issues” before elaborating on the circumstances of his departure or future plans.

Nadezhdin had been preparing to run in the upcoming September elections for the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Parliament, aiming to bring attention to ending what the Kremlin refers to as the “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine. His campaign emphasized themes such as peace, freedom of speech, cooperation, and fair elections, explicitly opposing militarism, Russia’s international isolation, and President Vladimir Putin’s centralized authority.

However, shortly after beginning to collect support for his candidacy, Nadezhdin was barred from running in the elections. Last month, Russian authorities designated him as a “foreign agent,” effectively prohibiting him from teaching or holding public office. Shortly thereafter, he was detained briefly by police in connection with accusations of displaying extremist symbols in a video that included a photograph of Aleksei A. Navalny, the late opposition leader.

Authorities also restricted his ability to leave Russia after he expressed intentions to go into exile. In an earlier interview, Nadezhdin cited his advanced age and health problems, including heart issues, as reasons he feared imprisonment could be fatal. He also referenced responsibility to his four children, two of whom are minors, as motivating his desire to remain free.

A veteran political figure since the 1990s with prior connections to Kremlin officials, Nadezhdin had sought to challenge Putin in the 2024 presidential race but was disqualified from the ballot. Despite this, he was not subjected to criminal prosecution at that time. Nadezhdin suggested in recent interviews that Kremlin authorities are increasingly anxious about dissent as economic hardships, inflation, tax increases, internet restrictions, and the ongoing war weigh heavily on the Russian public.

Other opposition forces have faced similar pressures. The liberal Yabloko party is permitted to register for federal elections but encounters obstacles at local levels, especially in regions like St. Petersburg and Karelia where it traditionally holds support. Several Yabloko members face criminal charges; for example, deputy leader Maxim Kruglov was sentenced in June to seven years in prison for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian military. Other party members have received prison terms or pretrial detention on charges related to alleged support of “extremist” organizations.

Reflecting on his political career and the broader context, Nadezhdin recalled the late Soviet era of openness and reform under Mikhail Gorbachev known as glasnost and perestroika, a period that current Kremlin leaders reportedly fear repeating. He emphasized the historical impact that a small number of critical voices can have in shifting public consciousness, citing Nobel laureate and dissident Andrei Sakharov as an example. Nadezhdin warned that the government’s determination to exclude any outspoken critics from the Duma serves to prevent similar awakening to dissenting views. He acknowledged that such a scenario may seem unlikely now, but pointed out that few in 1985 predicted the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nadezhdin’s exit marks another blow to the diminishing space for opposition in Russia amid ongoing repression of antiwar activism and political pluralism.