A Communist Party of the Russian Federation candidate for the State Duma was detained in Russia
In Saratov, law enforcement officers detained Nikolai Bondarenko, a candidate for the State Duma of the Russian Federation and a former deputy of the Saratov Regional Duma representing the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). The politician stated that his detention was related to his political activities and the upcoming elections.
According to Bondarenko, about ten law enforcement officers came to his home and, threatening to file a report for disobeying police officers, forced him into a patrol car. He is currently being taken to court.
Bondarenko reported that he is being charged with an administrative offense under the article regarding the display of “extremist symbols.” According to him, the detention is an act of pressure not only on the CPRF but also on active citizens.
The party stated that the reason for filing the report was a post on one of the social media accounts allegedly belonging to Bondarenko. The CPRF also emphasized that bringing an officially registered candidate for the State Duma to administrative liability requires authorization from the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation. The party called the situation “completely unacceptable.”
Bondarenko has been a member of the CPRF since 2009. In 2017, he was elected to the Saratov Regional Duma, and in 2021, he ran for the State Duma. The politician is known for his activity on social media and runs a YouTube channel called “A Deputy’s Diary,” where he regularly criticizes the Russian government.
Bondarenko has previously faced problems due to his activities. In 2021, he was detained at a rally in support of Alexei Navalny. In 2022, the politician was stripped of his seat in the Saratov Regional Duma. The official reason cited was his income from YouTube, which the commission deemed a violation of anti-corruption laws.
In 2023, Roskomnadzor blocked Bondarenko’s website, and the following year, the “Zen” platform restricted access to his page.
As a reminder, a candidate in Russia was disqualified from the State Duma elections for using stolen Microsoft fonts.
Earlier, a Moscow court banned the Yabloko party from participating in the parliamentary elections.
Yabloko could have garnered up to 20% of the vote in the State Duma elections.
