In the Primorsky Krai in eastern Russia, two communist lawmakers have publicly called for an end to the offensive in Ukraine. “If our country does not stop the military operation, there will be more orphans in our country,” Deputy Leonid Vasyukevich said at a session of the regional parliament on Friday. “We demand the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.” Vashukevich’s faction colleague Gennady Chulga agreed.
After the speech, which was broadcast on the YouTube channels of the regional parliament and the newspaper Kommersant, there was widespread applause.
It is the first time that MPs from the Russian Communist Party (KPRF) have made such public statements (see video below).
Communist Party Supports Putin’s War
The CPRF is supporting the military operation in the neighboring country, which began on February 24 on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. The governor of the Primorye region of eastern Siberia, Oleg Koshemyako, who attended the parliamentary session, accused the two communist deputies of “discrediting the Russian army, which is fighting against Nazism”.
Promised “severe sanctions” against Putin critics
Both deputies were subsequently stripped of their right to vote in the regional parliament 27 to 5 votes throughout the day. The Communist Party leader Anatoly Dolgachev immediately turned on his colleagues and promised “the most severe punitive measures”.
In recent months, Russian authorities have expanded criminal justice tools to impose large fines or prison terms on people found guilty of “discrediting” the military or publishing “false information” about it.
Source: Krone
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