Leonid Vasyukevich, a local MP from the Communist Party, addressed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during the Primorsky region parliament assembly. He demanded that Putin stop the war in Ukraine, according to a video published by Newsbox24.tv on Telegram.

“If we don’t stop the military operation, there will be more orphans in our country. People who could have been of great use to our country get killed or injured in this military operation,” he said. His address was supported by fellow MPs Natalya Kochugova, Aleksandr Sustov and Gennady Shulga.

Chairman of the regional parliament Aleksandr Rolik was trying to interrupt Vasyukevich, but Shulga stood up for him. Oleg Kozhemyako, the local governor, was also present at the assembly. He demanded that Vasyukevich and Shulga be evicted from the hall.

“Such actions discredit the Russian army which fights bravely against nazism. Vasyukevich is a traitor,” he said.

Alexey Kozitsky, another MP, suggested that Vasyukevich and Shulga be deprived of their vote. 25 MPs favoured the decision, five were against and three more abstained. The Primorsky region parliament consists of 40 MPs total.

Boris Bondarev, a diplomat posted to Russia's mission to the United Nations in Geneva, condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 23 May, criticised the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and resigned from his position.

"The aggressive war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine, and in fact against the entire Western world, is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia,” he said. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded: “Bondarev is not with us anymore, in fact, he’s more like against us at this point.”

Share
More on the topic
Article image
SubjectsDomestic Politics
'The commander looked at me. He could barely hold his laughter'
Mothers of conscripts who served on the sunken Moskva cruiser are asked to recognise that their sons ‘died in an accident,’ with no mention of ‘special operation’
Topics
Society
More news
US to let India buy millions of barrels of Russian oil from vessels stranded by Iran war
2 hours ago
Hungary seizes €70 million in cash from Ukrainian bank staff as rift with Kyiv worsens
4 hours ago
Russia and Ukraine release 500 POWs each in largest prisoner exchange since May
6 hours ago
Russia ramps up social media crusade in favour of spyware-loaded ‘super app’
7 hours ago
Christian Dior planning to reopen two flagship Moscow stores by 2028 
8 hours ago
Azerbaijan’s president calls Iranian drone strikes ‘act of terror’ as Tehran denies responsibility
March 5, 14:56
Readers' choice
Most popular articles from the last two weeks 20–6 марта
Influencer operation
Subjects
Influencer operation
A cohort of pro-Kremlin content creators is shamelessly portraying the Russian occupation of Mariupol in a positive light
Yulia Akhmedova
December 1, 16:13
NATO’s next test
Subjects
NATO’s next test
The alliance must face down the Russian threat in places where deterrence is most fragile, such as the Suwałki corridor
Agnia Grigas
February 19, 10:40
New Russia, old problems
Articles
New Russia, old problems
How a reclaimed imperial term came to represent something far more than a mere territorial claim for Russian soldiers
Maria Kurbak
March 5, 12:36