She will stand up to Putin: Who is Yekaterina Duntsova?

Vladimir Putin has almost casually announced that he will run for the presidency of Russia again in mid-2024. After a ceremony honoring soldiers in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin announced in mid-December what everyone expected: that he would run for the fifth time in the presidential elections in Russia.
In contrast, a few weeks earlier, a complete surprise happened: a TV journalist from Rzhev, a city of 60,000 inhabitants about 200 kilometers west of Moscow, announced that she would run against the eternal ruler of the Kremlin, writes Deutsche Welle.
Yekaterina Duntsova is 40 years old, a single mother of three children and says: "Today the situation in Russia is like this: those who could represent citizens with democratic views in the upcoming elections are either in prison or their rights are limited, prosecuted or forced to go to exile."
"Why shouldn't a woman be president, as a symbol of tenderness, kindness and feelings," asked Duntsova in an interview for DV.

Long way to candidacy

Vladimir Putin is nominated by his ruling United Russia party. Duntsova does not have her own party.
In order to be officially registered as a candidate, she must collect 300,000 signatures by January 31, 2024, which is not an easy task for a woman who has so far only been active as a politician at the regional level. As soon as Duntsova announced her plan, she was asked what her stance was on the "special military operation" in Ukraine. Duntsova stands for peace, but does not call the war in Ukraine a war. She carefully weighs every statement she makes so as not to violate the law on "discrediting the Russian military," which could result in a long prison sentence.
Duntsova has so far had no consequences, leading critics to conclude...