Russian Politician Who Urged Putin Resign Says He Does Not Fear Reprisal
Brendan Cole - 7h ago

A Russian local government official who has taken the risk of calling for Vladimir Putin's resignation has told Newsweek he is not afraid of the consequences of his stance.

Gordei Nefedov was one of three deputies from Moscow's Lomonosovsky Municipal Council who voted in September to back an appeal to the Kremlin to consider the possibility of the Russian president stepping down, arguing that he has not provided stability.

"The appeal has been signed, voted upon. I have expressed myself as a deputy and as a citizen. I have no intention of going back on it," Nefedov said from Moscow. "I can't predict what will happen next."

In September, dozens of municipal deputies from Moscow and St. Petersburg called for Putin's resignation amid claims of vote-rigging in local elections and advances by Ukrainian forces in his invasion of Ukraine.

With tough anti-dissent laws, such a move risks imprisonment for those opposing the Kremlin's narrative against the invasion of Ukraine.

However, that did not deter Nefedov who, along with his colleagues, posted a protocol on the council website dated September 8, which was sent to the Kremlin. It condemned the state of Russia's economy under Putin, as well as making a dig at the length of his tenure.

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