Russian Communist politician fined over Navalny photo, likely barring him from election
Nikolai Bondarenko reportedly intends to appeal the decision.
On August 21, a Russian court in Saratov imposed a fine of 1,000 rubles ($12) on Nikolai Bondarenko for displaying extremist symbols in a photograph of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to legal aid project Slovo Zashchite. Bondarenko, a former deputy in the Saratov Oblast legislature and a member of Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF), was charged under Article 20.3 of Russia’s Administrative Offenses Code.
The case arose from a 2024 post on his Telegram channel, Nikolai Bondarenko Live, featuring the photograph. Bondarenko claimed he had no involvement in managing the channel. If convicted, the fine could bar him from running in the upcoming parliamentary election, as it makes a person ineligible for one year. Bondarenko intends to appeal the decision, arguing that the content attributed to him was edited and not created by him.
Similar charges have been levied against other politicians ahead of the election. Anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin received a 1,000 ruble fine in July after a video linked from his social media showed a photograph of Navalny. Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin on an anti-war platform, was barred from running due to the fine and his designation as a foreign agent.
Russian authorities also barred him from leaving the country in July, but the restriction was later removed from Russia’s state services portal.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
