Published December 21,2023
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Yekaterina Duntsova, who’s in search of to run towards Vladimir Putin in Russia’s subsequent presidential election, denied on Thursday that she was backed by a former oil boss who runs an opposition motion from overseas.
Reporting on Duntsova’s formal bid to enter the race on Wednesday, the state news company RIA described her as “supported and financed by fugitive oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky (foreign agent)”.
“Foreign agent” is a tag utilized by Russian authorities to activists and opposition figures they contemplate to be engaged in dangerous political exercise financed from outdoors the nation.
Khodorkovsky was the billionaire head of oil agency Yukos however fell foul of Putin and spent 10 years in jail on fraud expenses, which he denied, earlier than being launched in 2013.
He is now primarily based in London and leads an opposition alliance referred to as Open Russia. A consultant for Khodorkovsky mentioned that “he doesn’t finance her and has no connection to her”.
The wording utilized by RIA was a primary indication of the obstacles Duntsova will face in acquiring balanced, not to mention beneficial, protection of her long-shot presidential bid from state media loyal to the Kremlin.
In an interview on Thursday with an opposition YouTube channel, “Chestnoye Slovo” (Honest Word), the previous TV journalist mentioned RIA’s description was an invention.
She mentioned she had “no direct link” to Khodorkovsky. The allegation could have been primarily based, she mentioned, on the truth that her candidacy was supported by Anastasia Burakova, the pinnacle of a challenge referred to as Kovcheg (The Ark) that Khodorkovsky based to assist individuals who have fled Russia as a result of they oppose the battle in Ukraine. Burakova was designated a “foreign agent” quickly after Duntsova introduced she wished to run towards Putin.
In the interview, Duntsova prevented criticising Putin instantly. But she mentioned there was a sure “stagnation” in Russia after 24 years of his rule.
“Prices are rising in an extraordinary fashion practically every day,” she mentioned. “The stability they tell us about doesn’t altogether correspond to reality.”
Duntsova has referred to as for an finish to the battle in Ukraine and the discharge of political prisoners together with Alexei Navalny, the foremost public critic of Putin nonetheless in Russia. She additionally mentioned she would search to repeal the regulation on “foreign agents”.
The Kremlin denies interfering within the justice system, which has imprisoned quite a few opposition figures, particularly within the 21 months since sending its forces into Ukraine, on expenses starting from knowingly discrediting Russia’s armed forces to fraud and treason.
Source: www.anews.com.tr