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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
❗️ The Kremlin is intensifying its purge of the opposition ahead of State Duma elections, - The Telegraph
On the eve of the September State Duma elections, the Russian authorities have stepped up pressure on opposition politicians and candidates, with persecutions increasingly affecting even the so-called “systemic opposition” that for years existed within the Kremlin-controlled political environment. The Telegraph reports this.
According to the publication, in just the past few months at least 23 politicians have been prevented from running. In 15 cases the pretext was publications featuring images or symbols associated with Alexei Navalny. Other candidates were targeted for links to Instagram and Facebook, which are banned in the Russian Federation.
Self-nominated candidate Danil Neonov, who planned to run in municipal elections in Moscow’s Shchukino district, was arrested and removed from the ballot because of a rainbow-colored T-shirt.
The greatest pressure has fallen on the liberal Yabloko party, which openly opposes the war. Eight of its members are currently behind bars, including the party’s deputy chair Maxim Kruglov. Although Yabloko’s chances of gaining significant representation in the State Duma are considered low, the party could count on votes from Russians dissatisfied with the war and Kremlin policy.
Now the party’s very participation in the elections is in doubt. The Russian Supreme Court is due to consider a lawsuit by the pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina seeking to remove Yabloko from the ballot. Its leader Alexei Zhuravlyov called Yabloko’s representatives “national traitors.”
Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov said the party is being pushed out precisely because of its stance on ending the war.
Anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin, who after decades working within the Russian political system was forced to leave the country, has also come under pressure. He planned to run as an independent candidate.
The Telegraph notes that Russian elections have long failed to meet the criteria of free political competition, but this campaign is marked by particularly harsh suppression of even limited and controlled criticism of the authorities.
The escalation of repression is occurring against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine, economic instability, a fuel crisis, Ukrainian strikes on targets deep inside Russian territory, and rumors of a new mobilization. The publication also reports on expressions of discontent within Russian society that in recent months have become increasingly visible.
At the same time, sources for The Telegraph say Russian security forces are gaining increasing freedom to pursue people the authorities consider potential opponents of the regime. Of particular concern is the strengthening role of the FSB and, in particular, its Second Service, responsible for combating terrorism and protecting the political order of the Russian Federation.
The publication says this situation is already causing alarm among members of the Russian elite, who fear they themselves could become targets of security forces.
📌 Just remember this publication for the future… I’m sure something similar will happen in our country someday, but the authorities will broadcast through every megaphone that it’s not true and that nothing like Russia exists here…
