An elected Russian local official files a complaint against Vladimir Putin over his use of the word “war”.
A Russian city councilor has announced that it will press charges against Vladimir Putin, who he accuses of spreading “false information” by using the word “war” to describe the situation in Ukraine.
During a press conference on Thursday, the Russian president actually used the word “war” while stating that he wanted the conflict in Ukraine to end “as soon as possible”. “Our goal is not to turn the conflict like a flywheel, but on the contrary to end this war, and that’s what we aim for,” said the Russian president. However, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which began on February 24, is officially described by the Kremlin as a “military special operation”. The Russian authorities have enacted a law providing for severe prison sentences for any publication of information deemed “false” about the army.
“The Russian Federation has not started a war,” wrote Nikita Iouferev, city councilor in Saint Petersburg (Northwest), in his complaint to Russia’s Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, the text of which was published on Thursday evening on the elected official’s Twitter account. “In accordance with a decision of the President of the Russian Federation dated February 24, 2022, a special operation is underway,” he added, asking to investigate Mr Putin’s statements and prosecute him for “spreading false information about the Russian army.” to pursue.
This motion has little chance of success, especially as the locally elected official’s text contains several factual errors, such as the date of Mr Putin’s speech or the president’s name, which was once written in the female form. However, this is a very rare initiative in the country where repression has increased since the beginning of the offensive in Ukraine.