Russian mum-of-three launches anti-war campaign to oust Putin

A Russian mum-of-three with minimal political experience admits she is ‘afraid’ as she launches a campaign to oust Vladimir Putin.

Ekaterina Duntsova, 40, is gaining momentum for her nomination to fight in the 2024 presidential election.

The Siberian-born lawyer and journalist wants to kick out the president after years in power as elections loom in Russia next year.

‘Why did I make this decision? I love our country, I want Russia to be a thriving democratic and peaceful state. But right now our country is moving in a completely different direction,’ said she said.

‘I understand that many right now want to wait it out…but we need to act…

‘Let’s at least try! Let’s try to win this “election”!’

Ekaterina’s policies include a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners.

She believes voters are ready to rebel against the current autocracy.

She claims that her age, compared to Putin, 71, along with her gender and lack of political experience may count in her favour.

But Ekaterina is also aware that presidential elections are routinely rigged so the dictator virtually cannot lose.

She has even been forced to deny that she is an officially sanctioned ‘spoiler candidate’.

This is a tactic used by the Kremlin to attract votes from, for example, liberally minded voters to nominees who will be prevented from succeeding.

‘I am definitely not a spoiler,’ she said.

‘This was my decision and it will be executed up to the point of my abilities.’

The most obvious pro-democracy, anti-war candidates who have exposed ‘endemic corruption’ under Putin are jailed on bogus convictions – like opposition leader Alexei Navalny – or exiled.

Putin, who has held continuous positions of the highest authority since 1999, has been subject to dozens of rumours about his health in recent years.

The most recent claims include that he had suffered heart problems and was employing body doubles to appear in the public eye.

Announcing her candidacy, Ekaterina said: ‘The friends with whom I discussed my decision asked me: “Do you seriously believe that in modern Russia something can be changed through these elections?

‘”Do you believe that you will be admitted and registered as a candidate?”

‘”Aren’t you afraid that you will be imprisoned?”

‘Of course, I have no illusions about these “elections”, and, like any normal person, I am afraid.

‘But I have hope that Russia can be changed democratically.’

A sign of Kremlin concern is that she was already ordered to appear before prosecutors and underwent an interrogation on her views on Putin’s war against Ukraine.

She cited her constitutional right not to answer but signed a statement verifying she is the owner of her social media account.

She said she is backed by her three children, Maria, 19, Sophia, 16, and Sylvester, 10, who all live with her in Rzhev, a backwater town in Tver region on the rail line between Moscow and Latvian capital Riga.

She was formerly on the local council in her town, and coordinates a group searching for missing children and adults.

She is gathering the 300,000 signatures she needs to register her candidacy and has had expressions of support from all around Russia.

Ekaterina must also hold a meeting of 500 close supporters – which she vows to do in Moscow.

Political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann said: ‘This is a candidate with a clear anti-war stance.

‘Without reservations, without ambiguities… and a woman, which, as we know from numerous sociological results, rather impresses than disgusts the voter…

‘Some kind of spontaneous political activity is happening, it has not yet died in Russia, despite all the unfavourable conditions.’

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