Andrey Kuzhba, a Communist Party candidate for the Orenburg Oblast Legislative Assembly, a resident of Orsk, and a participant in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has asked Vladimir Putin to revoke his combat veteran status after election authorities refused to register him as a candidate.
"For all three years [since I returned from the war], the Orsk administration has been systematically taking me to court because of my active civic stance. I've faced administrative charges, arrests, and constant fines," the activist said.
Kuzhba also posted a video in which he accused an election commission official of removing him from the ballot because he had "reposted some photo." At the end of the video, the Communist Party candidate "presented" the official with his veteran's ID, shouting: "I don't fucking need it anymore!"
In October 2025, a court fined Kuzhba 1,000 rubles under Article 20.3 of Russia's Code of Administrative Offenses for displaying extremist symbols. The case concerned an image bearing the slogan "Life to Thieves!" alongside symbols associated with the banned A.U.E. movement. A conviction under this article bars a person from running for office for one year.
Kuzhba was also fined three times in 2025–2026, for a total of 41,000 rubles, under articles covering violations of public assembly rules and petty hooliganism (Articles 20.2 and 20.1 of Russia's Code of Administrative Offenses).
