Top Putin critic launches presidential bid in Russia

One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critics announced his presidential bid on Sunday ahead of the country’s election next year, the Washington Post reported.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was nominated by hundreds of his supporters, paving the way for him to file endorsement papers required to officially declare his candidacy. 

{mosads}The development puts pressure on the Kremlin to allow the opposition figure to challenge Putin in March. 

Navalny has gained attention through organizing a series of protests against the government and publicizing corruption at the country’s state-run companies.

However, polls show Putin is likely to win the race in a landslide, due in part to his 80 percent approval rating.

The development comes as Russia dominates headlines in the U.S. amid the federal probe into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow, as well as into the Kremlin’s election interference. 

The U.S. intelligence community released an assessment earlier this year saying Russia attempted to meddle in the 2016 U.S. elections.