Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin dismisses threat from anti-war election hopeful; Zelenskyy visits front-line war hot spot

The Kremlin aims to discredit a political rival of Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to the upcoming presidential election in March. Boris Nadezhdin, an anti-war politician, submitted his candidacy to Russia’s electoral committee last week, gathering the required number of signatures to qualify. Analysts anticipate that the Central Election Commission, under Kremlin control, will likely find fault with Nadezhdin’s bid. Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has dismissed Nadezhdin as a significant political threat.