Chelyabinsk Activist Ends Campaign After Jumping From Window to Escape Police
Urban planning blogger and activist Mikhail Popov has suspended his election campaign after fracturing his spine while jumping from a second-floor window to flee police officers.
Mikhail Popov, an urban planning blogger and activist from Chelyabinsk, has announced the end of his campaign for the local city council. The decision comes a week after he fractured his spine while jumping from a second-floor window to escape from police officers. Earlier this month, Popov had declared his intention to gather signatures to run as an independent candidate in the September elections for the Chelyabinsk City Duma. Following the incident, he was hospitalized with a spinal fracture. The purpose of the police visit to his home remains unclear.
"I won't be able to collect 205 signatures by July 24, so I'm forced to end my participation in this election campaign," Popov wrote on Telegram on Monday, adding that he plans to focus on his medical recovery.
Popov, known for his writings on public transit and urban development, was attacked by two men in camouflage last year. At the time, the blogger said he believed the assault was linked to his public opposition to a local forest construction project. Last week, Popov identified one of the officers who visited his home as an investigator who had questioned him about the 2025 assault. A court fined one of his attackers 6,000 rubles ($76), while the second person avoided prosecution.
Popov's campaign suspension follows that of anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin, who announced on Sunday he was ending his involvement in opposition politics amid increasing pressure from Russian authorities.
