• Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin was arrested in Moscow ahead of the country's parliamentary elections, after being classified as a "foreign agent" by the Ministry of Justice.
• Nadezhdin, who openly opposes Russia's war against Ukraine, intends to continue his political struggle and collect signatures in support of his candidacy for the Duma election in September, despite facing repression from the government.
• The arrest of Nadezhdin is seen as a government signal to deter dissenting views from participating in the upcoming election, as the Kremlin-backed United Russia party aims to maintain its power despite widespread dissatisfaction among many Russians about the war.

Police in Russia arrested the opposition politician and anti-war activist Boris Nadezhdin in Moscow on Monday, two months ahead of the country's parliamentary elections.

Officers had picked him up and taken him to the police station, the politician said in a post on Telegram. It was not immediately clear why Nadezhdin had been detained.

Last week, the Russian Ministry of Justice classified him as a "foreign agent," which would bar him from standing for election in Russia.

Nadezhdin nevertheless intends to stand for a seat in the Duma election in September. During the 2024 presidential election, long queues had formed in Moscow as people gathered the necessary signatures of support for him.

However, the electoral commission did not allow Nadezhdin, who openly opposes Russia's war against Ukraine, to stand.

Moscow's Ministry of Justice accused Nadezhdin of spreading disinformation about decisions made by Russian authorities and of calling for unauthorized demonstrations and vigils.

Despite being classified as a foreign agent, Nadezhdin had stated that he intended to continue his political struggle and keep collecting signatures in support of his Duma candidacy.

The few opposition figures still at liberty in Russia have complained about an increase in the already pervasive repression ahead of the election, which is scheduled for September 18-20.

Despite the widespread dissatisfaction among many Russians about the war, the Kremlin-backed United Russia party intends to maintain its position of power in the election.

Russian political scientist Alexander Kynev said that the crackdown on Nadezhdin was a signal from the government that it intended to deter those with dissenting views from taking part in the Duma election.