By Ron Popeski
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin, whose mystery disappearance triggered speculation he might have been kidnapped by rivals, turned up in
Ukraine Tuesday where he said he had been taking a break.
Rybkin, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin whom he will challenge in next month's election, told Russian media he was surprised at the fuss caused by his failure to contact family and aides.
"I didn't disappear anywhere. I bought a newspaper today and was stunned," Ekho Moskvy radio quoted him as saying.
Rybkin, who disappeared last Thursday, told Interfax news agency that he was entitled to go on a short break.
"I have the right to two or three days of personal life. I went to Kiev to my friends, walked around, switched off my mobile phones, and didn't watch TV," he was quoted as saying.
"Over the last week I decided to have a rest from the fuss, which has surrounded me. I left my wife, who is now taking care of our grandchildren, fruit and money, but didn't tell her anything. I changed my jacket, got onto the train and left for Kiev."
He said he telephoned after reading newspapers in Kiev.
Rybkin was due to fly back to Moscow later in the evening and was certain to face hordes of reporters as well as his own baffled campaign workers.
Rybkin's aide said he had telephoned to say he had been relaxing in Ukraine.
"His voice was cheerful and jolly, I am very glad that he is alive and healthy," Ksenia Ponomaryova said by telephone. "I do not know why he didn't tell anyone anything."
Rybkin, 57, went missing last Thursday triggering suggestions that he had been kidnapped by political rivals.
Two days later he was formally registered as one of six candidates running against Putin in the March 14 presidential election. None is seen as posing any serious threat to Putin's chances of winning by a landslide a second term in the Kremlin.