This woman challenges Putin – a few days after her candidacy it is already having consequences This woman challenges Putin – a few days after her candidacy it is already having consequences

She is young, female and wants a democratic Russia: Ekaterina Duntsova represents the exact opposite of President Vladimir Putin. And she wants to start working next year. Who is the courageous woman?

A few days ago, Duntsova announced her candidacy on Telegram. “Today I share with you an important decision that has been brewing in my heart for a long time,” she wrote in the beginning.

Why is she running? “Because I love our country, because I want Russia to become a democratic, prosperous and peaceful state,” she continued. “And now our country is moving in a completely different direction: away from rights and freedoms, away from love and peace, away from a bright future.” Words that the ruler of the Kremlin should not like at all.

Duntsova faces a prison sentence for her candidacy

She uses the word election provocatively in quotes and is aware that she could end up in jail for her candidacy. Your candidacy can already be described as hopeless if Putin wants to run again – and there is a lot to be said for that.

The prominent example of Putin’s intimate enemy Alexei Navalny shows what can happen to her because of her courage. In 2016 he wanted to take on Putin, four years later he was poisoned with Novichok, and today he is serving a 19-year sentence in a prison camp.

Duntsova, 40, was born in Krasnoyarsk in deep Siberia. Duntsova is a single mother of three children. Her 19-year-old daughter supports her in her campaign, she told the Moscow Times. She studied law and television journalism.

In 2019, she entered politics once, becoming a member of the city of Rzhev Duma, about 200 kilometers west of the Russian capital. A year ago, the local parliament was dissolved and the city and district were merged. Her political career was over for the time being. She also coordinates local and volunteer search and rescue teams in Rzhev, which look for missing children and adults, she writes on her website.

Visit from the Public Prosecution Service

“I am raising three children, and it is important to me what kind of country we will leave them,” Duntsova wrote on Telegram. “I understand that many people now want to wait, lurk and wait, but we must act today, it may be too late.” Every word she says sounds like a direct attack on the ruler in the Kremlin. On her website she is even more specific: “In a huge state, everything is determined by one person. “Military operations” on the territory of neighboring states inevitably lead to isolation and degradation.”

The Kremlin apparently quickly heard her announcement that she wanted to become president of Russia. On Tuesday, Duntsova was apparently questioned by the prosecutor’s office. In particular, it was said that it was about the wording of their announcement. She writes:

Your candidacy is not yet final. Officially, she must collect 300,000 signatures, so far 10,000 have been collected, Duntsova wrote on Telegram on Wednesday. In addition, 500 supporters must meet simultaneously in one place to support their candidacy. “We know very well what can happen,” Duntsova told the Moscow Times. “If we can’t collect the first time, we’ll try a second time, and so on.” Even if she were to achieve that, Duntsova expects anything but fair and free elections.

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