On 17 July, Russian authorities detained former pro-Kremlin blogger Ilya Remeslo and convicted opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin in separate proceedings that effectively bar both from participating in the tightly controlled parliamentary elections scheduled for September. A Moscow court remanded Remeslo in custody for two months on charges of spreading false information about the armed forces, while a court in Dolgoprudny fined Nadezhdin 1,000 roubles for displaying “extremist symbols” — a ruling that disqualifies him from seeking elected office for one year.

Nadezhdin, who had been declared a “foreign agent” the previous week, told the court the real aim was to “shut me up and not let me run” for the State Duma. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the case had nothing to do with the Kremlin. Remeslo’s lawyer said the criminal case stems from a March manifesto in which the blogger accused President Vladimir Putin of war crimes, blamed him for economic damage and internet censorship, and called for his trial. Independent Russian media note that Remeslo had previously been a paid informant against the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and that his about-turn was followed by a month-long forced stay in a psychiatric hospital.

Viewed from Western capitals, the parallel actions signal a determination to eliminate any electoral uncertainty. Nadezhdin’s 2024 presidential bid drew long queues of supporters before he was barred over allegedly flawed signatures; his attempt to run for parliament had again exposed public discontent. State-owned pollsters VTsIOM and FOM reported this month that Putin’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amid fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and mounting economic strain. The legal instruments deployed — the “foreign agent” law, the ban on displaying symbols of “extremist” organisations, and the military “fake news” statute — have been used systematically since 2022 to imprison or silence journalists, activists, and elected officials.

Remeslo will remain in pre-trial detention until at least 16 September and faces a maximum sentence of ten years. Nadezhdin, who suffered a hypertensive episode during the hearing, is prohibited from leaving Russia and cannot stand in any state or local election for one year. With both men sidelined, the field of permitted candidates for the 18–20 September vote is expected to offer no platform for anti-war positions.