Navalny camp sets up plan to disrupt Putin’s path to another six-year term

Opposition activists see chance to show Putin is vulnerable in upcoming election, despite Kremlin's control of state media and ability to decide who can and cannot run. Navalny camp seeks to draw Russians into political conversation, convince them of Putin's responsibility for Ukraine war and economic strains. Volunteers sought to spread videos, leaflets, graffiti and cold-call voters. Opposition seeks to create points of tension for Putin and his regime.

With his hands on all the levers of power in Russia, Vladimir Putin appears unbeatable in a presidential election but opposition activists scent a chance to show he is vulnerable.

Mr. Putin declared his candidacy for another six-year term on Friday and there is no serious rival to challenge him, with Opposition leader Alexei Navalny serving more than 30 years in prison and other critics also jailed or in exile.

With the Kremlin in full control of state media and able to decide who can and cannot run, the Navalny camp says this is not a real election. But it sees the 100-day campaign window as a rare opportunity to draw Russians into a political conversation and convince them that the Ukraine war and the economic strains it has brought are problems of Mr. Putin’s making.

“Of course it’s impossible to beat Putin in the ‘elections’,” top Navalny aide Leonid Volkov said. “The aim of our campaign is to change the political agenda in Russia.”

The Kremlin says Mr. Putin will win another six-year term because he commands overwhelming support across Russian society, with opinion poll ratings of around 80%.

So far only three persons have declared their intention to run against him. Two are low-profile figures, Boris Nadezhdin and Yekaterina Duntsova, who may struggle to gather the 3,00,000 signatures required to support their candidacies. The third, nationalist Igor Girkin, is in jail awaiting trial on a charge of inciting extremist activity.

Other possible candidates who have yet to declare include Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov and liberal Grigory Yavlinsky, both political veterans and serial election losers.