Russian Independents Shrink to 79 Candidates Before September Vote as Repression and Apathy Bite
Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Jul 23
Russian Independents Shrink to 79 Candidates Before September Vote as Repression and Apathy Bite
2 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Jul 23
Summary
Just 79 independent candidates have been confirmed so far for Russia’s September State Duma election, down from more than 170 in 2021 and 300 in 2016.
Signature rules and voter apathy are already knocking hopefuls out: Bashkortostan activist Yevgenia Kutsuyeva gathered fewer than 1,000 of 16,000 signatures, while Yakutsk volunteer Anton Vasilyev quit after collecting only 1,000 of 20,000.
Pressure is also coming directly from authorities and rivals. In Perm, Alexei Ogloblin said opponents stole leaflets and disrupted signature drives; in Chelyabinsk, Mikhail Popov quit after fleeing police and injuring his spine; in St. Petersburg, Yaroslav Kostrov got 10 days in jail, making him ineligible.
Regional races show the same pattern: in 11 regions, last year’s parliamentary elections drew 33 independents and only 14 cleared nomination, versus 105 self-nominations in the same regions in 2020.
Even as war-related economic strains and drone-hit fuel shortages spur more online political discussion, most of that engagement is flowing to Kremlin-tolerated opposition parties rather than independents.