Russian nationalist who wanted to run against Putin to stay in detention

FILE PHOTO: 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

LONDON (Reuters) - Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who had said he wanted to challenge Vladimir Putin in a presidential election in March, had his detention extended for six months on Thursday as he awaits trial on charges of inciting extremism.

The ruling, announced by a Moscow court, extinguishes the already faint prospect that Girkin might be allowed to run.