"Putin's Challenger Faces Scrutiny Over Paperwork Flaws"

Russian election officials have found irregularities in the paperwork submitted by anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin, including signatures of deceased individuals, raising the likelihood of his disqualification from running against President Vladimir Putin in the March 2024 election. Nadezhdin, who has been openly critical of Putin and the war in Ukraine, has garnered attention despite low expectations of winning. The Central Election Commission will announce next week which candidates have been cleared to run, with Nadezhdin's growing profile potentially becoming an annoyance for the Kremlin.