The Central Election Commission (CEC) voted 12 to 1 to annul the registration of Nikolai Bondarenko, a Communist Party candidate for the State Duma. Bondarenko headed the party's regional group covering Udmurtia and Perm Krai; after his removal, the commission ordered changes to ballots in those regions.
In August, the Kirovsky District Court of Saratov fined the politician 1,000 rubles under an administrative case involving the display of "extremist" symbols (Article 20.3 of the Russian Administrative Code). The protocol was based on a 2024 post in the Telegram channel "Nikolai Bondarenko Live" featuring a photo of Alexei Navalny. Bondarenko denied involvement in administering the channel. Conviction under this article carries a temporary ban on running for office.
Bondarenko appealed the ruling, but on September 4 the Saratov Regional Court rejected his appeal. Before his detention, the politician alleged a provocation against him: pro-government channels spread claims that he had given an interview to a Polish outlet criticizing the war against Ukraine. Bondarenko called those reports false. After his removal, Communist Party representative Georgy Kamnev described the case as politically motivated at a CEC meeting.
Earlier, opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin was also barred from elections under the same article after being fined over a Navalny photo; he subsequently left Russia. In August, the CEC also removed the federal list of Yabloko — the only anti-war party on the ballot — from the Duma election.
Following Bondarenko's detention, rallies in his support and for other removed Communist candidates took place in several Russian regions. About 100 people gathered in Tyumen, an action also occurred in Cheboksary, and party supporters held solo pickets in other cities. Yulia Navalnaya voiced support for Bondarenko, urging voters to oppose United Russia and, in single-mandate districts, to back candidates recommended by Smart Voting.
Other potential candidates from Yabloko and the Communist Party have been removed from the race in similar fashion. Bondarenko linked the developments to his active political work and an attempt to pressure him and his party. He is a former deputy of the Saratov Regional Duma and runs the YouTube channel "Diary of a Deputy," with over two million subscribers, regularly criticizing Russian authorities.