Nadezhdin Banned From Leaving Russia Ahead of Court Hearing

July 16, 2026 Boris Nadezhdin. @BorisNadezhdin / Telegram Anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin said Thursday that authorities in Russia have banned him from leaving the country, just a day before he is scheduled to appear in court on charges of publicly displaying “extremist” symbols. Nadezhdin, who gained prominence during a failed 2024 presidential bid on a pro-peace platform, was designated as a “foreign agent” late last week. On Monday, he was charged with displaying “extremist” symbols, an administrative offense that carries a maximum sentence of 15 days in prison. The anti-war politician said he believes the authorities are trying to pressure him due to his efforts to run in Russia’s parliamentary elections in September. Individuals designated as “foreign agents” are unable to hold public office. On Thursday, Nadezhdin wrote on his Telegram channel that he had received a travel ban notification from the Federal Bailiff Service via Gosuslugi, Russia’s state services portal. He called the restriction “illegal” and said he and his lawyer plan to file an appeal. A person close to Nadezhdin told the exiled news outlet Agentstvo that the travel ban stems from the sudden reopening of an old enforcement proceeding linked to his bankruptcy case, which was closed more than a year ago. Legal experts told the outlet that declaring bankruptcy does not automatically close all enforcement proceedings against a person and that the bankruptcy process itself can serve as grounds for a travel ban. In an interview with Meduza earlier this week, Nadezhdin said that he and his family were weighing whether to leave Russia due to growing pressure from the authorities. While Nadezhdin expressed a strong desire to stay, he acknowledged the threat of imprisonment, an outcome he said he is also trying to avoid. Nadezhdin previously served as an advisor to former Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov in the late 1990s, and then as an assistant to former Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko, who is currently deputy first chief of staff in the Kremlin. Nadezhdin was a State Duma lawmaker from 1999 to 2003. Between 2019 and 2024, he served as a councilman in the Moscow region. The charge of displaying “extremist” symbols against Nadezhdin and a growing number of other political figures ahead of September’s parliamentary elections appears designed to block them from running. The practice, known as “candidate filtering,” is a common tactic used by Russian authorities to disqualify unwanted challengers and keep them off the ballot entirely. Read more about: Boris Nadezhdin Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. 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