Communist running for Moscow City Duma withdraws after endorsement from barred opposition candidate

Vladislav Kolmagorov announced on August 23 that he is withdrawing from this year’s Moscow City Duma elections, which have inspired regular mass protests due to their exclusion of opposition candidates. The Communist Party member’s withdrawal immediately followed a call by Ilya Yashin, one of the blocked opposition candidates, for voters to back Kolmagorov instead of him

Kolmagorov later wrote on Facebook that after Yashin endorsed him, he received messages threatening to reveal his criminal record to the public, leading him to withdraw his candidacy. Kolmagorov said he did not include the conviction in question in his candidacy documents because he believed the violation wasn’t a part of his record. Yashin pointed to Kolmagorov’s withdrawal as a sign that voters have good reason to vote for candidates who may not identify with the opposition but could still resist Russia’s ruling party.