The ‘undesirable candidate’: Russia’s Communists flirt with real politics again in their fight for Pavel Grudinin

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) says it's mobilizing supporters for nationwide protests against election officials' decision not to register the party's former presidential candidate, Pavel Grudinin, on its parliamentary ticket, this September. Last week, sources close to the Putin administration told Meduza that the Kremlin decided in advance to block Grudinin's candidacy this fall after KPRF head Gennady Zyuganov refused to coordinate with Putin's office. The Kremlin also holds a serious grudge against Grudinin for performing a little too well in Russia's 2018 presidential race. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/07/28/the-undesirable-candidate