Putin rival says ’people are tired of war’ as he gathers support from protesters

Boris Nadezhdin, a 60-year-old former opposition lawmaker, is running a long-shot campaign to challenge Vladimir Putin for the Russian presidency and says his call to end Russia’s war in Ukraine has put rocket boosters under his bid. Putin rivals Boris Nadezhdin and Yekaterina Duntsova, who are anti-war, have been barred from standing in next month’s presidential elections. As soon as Nadezhdin started polling more than ten per cent of support, he was removed from the ballot on the grounds of irregularities in his application procedure. Nadezhdin said he would appeal against both decisions and file a further claim against the refusal of the electoral commission to register him. “I don’t give up and I won’t give up,“ he said. Read more: The Sun delivers breaking news, latest gossip and incredible exclusives around the world with hubs in London, New York, Scotland