Russian President Vladimir Putin is dealing with mounting opposition at home as the Ukraine war is in its seventh month with no end in sight.
What Happened: More than 30 Russian municipal deputies from 18 different districts of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kolpino have called on Putin to resign in an open letter published on Monday.
Xenia Torstrem, a deputy in St. Petersburg’s Semyonovsky District, posted the petition on Twitter. A translation of the petition reads, “We, the municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of President Vladimir Putin harm the future of Russia and its citizens. We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of President of the Russian Federation!”
Мундепы требуют отставки Путина
Муниципальные депутаты из 18 разных округов Москвы, Петербурга и Колпино требуют отставки Путина. Текст петиции лаконичный, никого не “дискредитирует”. Если вы мундеп и хотите присоедниться – милости просим. pic.twitter.com/APCUZRlznv
— Ксения Торстрем (@kseniathorstrom) September 12, 2022
The call for the Russian president to step down comes as the Ukrainian forces pursue a counteroffensive against the Kremlin in the Kharkiv region in the east and Kherson in the south, with massive gains.
This came days after seven Russian lawmakers who demanded Putin be charged with high treason over his decision to launch the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine were summoned by the local police.
“The Council of the Smolninskoye Municipal District decided to appeal to the State Duma deputies with a proposal to bring charges of treason against President Putin in order to remove him from office,” Dmitry Palyuga, one of the lawmakers, stated in the tweet with the document.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Russia held its first election since the start of the war. The country voted to elect more than 31,000 officials nationwide. However, Putin’s opposition has alleged fraud and vote-rigging, The Hill reported.
Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.