Russian presidential hopeful vows to champion peace, women and a ‘humane’ country

By JOANNA KOZLOWSKA
Associated Press

Yekaterina Duntsova is a little-known journalist and mom-of-three from a small town in western Russia. She hopes to force President Vladimir Putin into a run-off in Russia’s next presidential vote scheduled for March, despite her political inexperience and analysts’ assessments that the Kremlin leader’s reelection is all but assured. Duntsova intends to run as an independent and tells The Associated Press that she hopes to energize voters disillusioned with politics with her message of peace in Ukraine, freedom for jailed government critics and a “humane” Russia respectful of its citizens and international partners. She admits to being afraid amid the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent, but vows she and her campaign team will fight on.