Jailed Russian nationalist Girkin says he'd be better president than Putin

Russian nationalist Kremlin critic and former military commander Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, who is charged with inciting extremist activity, sits behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing to consider an appeal against his detention, in Moscow, Russia August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

(Reuters) - Igor Girkin, a prominent Russian ultranationalist in custody awaiting trial on charges of inciting extremism, said on Thursday he would make a better president than Vladimir Putin, describing him as gullible and "too kind".

Girkin issued a Telegram post entitled "On running as a candidate for president of the Russian Federation", suggesting he planned to stand in the March 2024 election, when Putin is expected to seek six more years in power.