"Kremlin's Concerns Over Anti-War Candidate's Impact on Putin's Votes in Russian Presidential Race"

Russian officials are likely to bar the only anti-war candidate, Boris Nadezhdin, from running in the upcoming presidential election, as they fear he may take too many votes from President Vladimir Putin. Election officials rejected a significant number of signatures Nadezhdin needed to qualify, prompting his campaign to appeal the decision. Nadezhdin's unexpected popularity and potential to cast a negative light on Putin and the war in Ukraine may have led to the move to bar him from the ballot, raising concerns about election manipulation and the Kremlin's control over the process.