Communist Party candidate Nikolai Bondarenko was detained at his home in Russia’s Saratov region on Friday while his candidacy for the State Duma in next month’s parliamentary elections remained active.
Bondarenko confirmed the incident on his blog. In a subsequent statement, he said that 10 police officers came to his home and took him away, adding that it was connected to his political activities.
"This is connected to my political activities. It is an attempt to pressure both the Communist Party and me and to ‘adjust’ the results of the upcoming elections."
Communist Party appoints lawyers
Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said he was aware that Bondarenko had been detained and that the party’s lawyers were handling the case.
Party officials said the accusation was based on an old social media post featuring a photograph of the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny. The same officials said the social media account from which the post was made did not belong to Bondarenko.
Similar accusation during election season
Other politicians seeking to run in the September elections have also faced similar legal problems. Peace politician Boris Nadezhdin was removed from the ballot earlier this month after leaving Russia because he shared a link to a video featuring Navalny’s image, on the grounds that he had displayed “extremist” symbols.
Bondarenko’s political rise and loss of his parliamentary seat
Bondarenko became known across the country for his strong and direct criticism of the 2018 pension reforms. While serving in the Saratov Regional Duma from 2017 to 2021, he built a large following on social media.
The politician shared an experiment on social media in which he tried to live on 3,500 rubles a month, or about $52. His populist rhetoric, effective use of social media and sharp attacks on the ruling United Russia Party helped him gain Navalny’s support.
Bondarenko lost his seat in the Saratov Regional Duma in 2022. Prosecutors alleged that he had failed to declare advertising income from his popular YouTube channel and user donations.
