Boris Nadezhdin, the candidate challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin in the upcoming presidential election on March 17, has declared his intention to end the war in Ukraine as his first action if elected.
In an interview with BBC News, Nadezhdin expressed his plans to halt the conflict and restore normal relations between Russia and the Western community.
Nadezhdin criticized Putin for making 'many' mistakes, not limited to the war in Ukraine. "He (Putin) has virtually destroyed key institutions of Russia's modern state. My task would be to restore these institutions," Nadezhdin stated.
Photo: Wiki Commons
On Tuesday, Nadezhdin announced he had gathered the required 100,000 signatures to be registered as a candidate by the end of January.
The 60-year-old expressed to BBC that 'dozens of millions of people' support him, despite the known risks of opposing Putin's rule, which has led to the imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny and the exclusion of anti-war politician Yekaterina Duntsova from the election last year.
Aware of these risks, Nadezhdin remains hopeful of his candidacy: "My goal is to change Russia. I may not become president on March 17, but I aim to achieve the best result."
Duntsova and Navalny have urged their supporters to back Nadezhdin. Nadezhdin claims that initially, only 15 to 20 percent of Russians wanted to end the war, but now 'the majority of Russians' desire peace.
"I am certain that Putin will not rule Russia for another six years, as more and more people realize that he is leading Russia down a path of militarism, authoritarianism, and isolation," he concluded.
