Sergei Medvedev, a member of the municipal council of the Russian city of Perm, fled to neighbouring Georgia following the strong reaction and anonymous threats he received after criticising President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in an online post, on Thursday, the 18th of January, reports Politico.
Medvedev wrote on the Russian social network “Vkontakte” on the 31st of December: “Russia, wake up! They are killing you! It is so terrible to realise that
the monster behind all this is running for election again.”
He also expressed a desire for the war to end and called for Russia to be free from Putin’s control.
He was expelled from the Communist Party in Perm after the authorities requested a legal review of his social media posts criticising the war and the Russian Interior Ministry put him on a wanted list on unspecified charges. Communist Party leader Kseniya Aitakova expressed support for the police action and confirmed the Party’s support for the war in Ukraine.
From exile, Medvedev expressed his frustration to Politico, saying he could not take and ignore it any longer. “People are smiling, politicians wish well. But what’s the point? The country is in decline, yet everyone celebrates,” he said.
He also stressed that Russia is becoming a pariah state in the eyes of the world,
and he believes that every sane person is fully aware of this reality.
Medvedev expressed his belief that many people in Russia share his views but remain silent out of fear, and drew parallels with Nazi Germany, saying that no one could speak out against Hitler.
Since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has stepped up its crackdown on critics and foreign journalists, such as the expulsion of Politico reporter Eva Hartog last August, reports Politico.
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