Putin challenger says ‘miracles’ are helping him upstage Russian leader

Putin’s against me but God’s on my side, says Russian presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin.

In recent weeks, long lines have formed outside Kremlin critic Nadezhdin’s make-shift campaign offices in dozens of cities inside and outside Russia.

It has introduced an element of surprise into a March election dismissed by critics as a Vladimir Putin-themed PR show before the longtime Russian president extends his two-decade rule by yet another term.

Nadezhdin, a 60-year-old veteran politician with a background in physics_, promises to end Putin’s “fatal mistake” in Ukraine, halt mobilization and free political prisoners, including Alexei Navalny. He also pledges to reverse anti-LGBTQ+ and military censorship laws.

He is now required to submit 100,000 signatures, which must be spread over at least 40 regions, to Russia’s Central Elections Committee by the end of January. 

Speaking to POLITICO on Thursday by phone, Nadezhdin attributed his success so far to a “number of miracles” and “astonishing things.”

The first was that he managed to get the liberal Civic Initiative party to back him, reducing the number of administrative hurdles he was facing.

The second, that thousands of people started donating money and signing up as volunteers.

The third occurred in early January when a number of influential Russian opposition figures, most of whom live in exile, spoke out in support of his long-shot bid.

“You can call it God or fate, but there’s a tangible force driving my campaign,” Nadezhdin said.

Rather than a miracle, independent analysts have explained the boom in Nadezhdin’s popularity as a sign of widespread discontent about the Kremlin and its war against Ukraine.

Many, however, wonder how long Nadezhdin’s ascent can last before there is intervention from above — the Kremlin.

In recent weeks, long lines have formed outside Kremlin critic Nadezhdin’s make-shift campaign offices in dozens of cities inside and outside Russia | Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

But Nadezhdin said no one from the presidential administration has so far gotten in touch with him to invite him “to tea.”

“It’s a sign they don’t know what to do with me,” he said.  

Another opposition candidate, Yekaterina Duntsova, was disqualified by election authorities in December for “numerous violations” in her paperwork. 

Yet Nadezhdin said he did not discount a fifth miracle in the form of his name appearing on the ballot. 

“What I’m doing now, God supports it,” he said, adding he comes from a long line of Russian Orthodox priests.

Nonetheless, ahead of the looming deadline to submit the signatures, Nadezhdin said he had been working 18-hour days: “God helps those who help themselves.”