Anti-war candidate says top Russian court backs barring her from challenging Putin

Yekaterina Duntsova, a former regional journalist who was disqualified as a candidate for Russia's 2024 presidential election, attends an interview with Reuters in Moscow, Russia December 25, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a decision to bar a former TV journalist who opposes the war in Ukraine from taking part in a presidential election in March, Yekaterina Duntsova, the would-be candidate, said on Wednesday.

Members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject the candidacy of Duntsova, citing "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted in support of her bid.