Moscow | Elected communist officials from the Primorsky region in the Far East of Russia demanded, Friday, during a meeting of the local assembly, an end to the offensive in Ukraine, before being denied the right to vote.
This is the first time that such an initiative has been launched by elected members of the Communist Party, a formation that supports the offensive launched on the orders of President Vladimir Putin on February 24.
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During this meeting, Representative Leonid Vasukevich, belonging to the Communist Party of Russia (KPRF), stood up and read a letter to President Vladimir Putin, despite numerous attempts by other elected officials and the governor of the region, also present at the meeting, to silence him.
“A few days ago, at a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai, a series of measures were adopted to support the families of soldiers who died during the military operation,” he said, according to a video clip of the session posted on the “Primorsky Krai” website. Youtube account assembly.
We understand that if our country does not stop hostilities, there will be more and more orphans. During the military operation people end up with disabilities, these are the young people who can bring a lot to our country.”
“We demand the immediate withdrawal of the Russian forces,” he concluded, to some applause.
Subsequently, the governor of the region, Oleg Kojimiako, demanded that Mr Vasukevich and his other communist deputy, Gennady Shulga, who supported him after he spoke, be stripped, accusing them of “discrediting the Russian army (…) that is fighting Nazism” according to the video also published by the Kommersant newspaper. on the Internet.
These two deputies were subsequently denied the right to vote by the Assembly for the day, by 27 votes to 5 against. Then the leader of the communist group in this council, Anatoly Dolgachev, denounced his colleagues and promised “the strongest (retaliatory) measures.”
The Russian authorities have aggressively increased their pressure and legal arsenal, which now makes it possible to impose heavy fines or prison sentences for anyone convicted of “defaming” the military or spreading “false information” about it.
