Russian Officials Propose Overthrowing Putin, Charging Him With Treason
A group of Russian officials has appealed to the country's State Duma to remove President Vladimir Putin from power on the charge of high treason, a document shared by one of the Russian deputies who co-signed the proposal reveals.
In a tweet published on Wednesday by Nikita Yurefev, a municipal deputy for Smolninskoe in St. Petersburg, the official wrote that the Council of the Smolninskoye Municipal District "sent a proposal to the State Duma demanding to remove Putin from office based on the charges of high treason."
The treason charge appears to be directly related to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which in Russia is still referred to as a "special military operation" by the Kremlin and its propaganda machine.
"His decision to start the Special Military Operation led to 1) deaths of the Russian servicemen, 2) problems in the Russian economy, 3) the expansion of NATO (the border with NATO has doubled!," a translation of Yurefev's tweet read.
The list of complaints against the Russian president continues in a follow-up tweet.
"Ukraine is militarizing and has received $38 billion worth of weapons to fight Russia. All these are the consequences of the decision to start the Special Military Operation. Putin's actions pose a threat to Russia's security. He should be fired! Adopted at a meeting of the Municipal Council of Smolninskoye."
Yurefev said that the draft decision put forward to the State Duma was introduced by Dmitry Palyuga, deputy of the Moscow Region Smolninskoye and signed by six other deputies besides Yurefev himself. According to Yurefev and Palyuga, the proposal was supported by a majority of deputies present.
"We think it's important to talk about what's going on and address different audiences with different arguments so that it all ends as soon as possible," Yurefev's tweet reads.
A copy of the document shows that the Russian officials considered the actions of Putin since February 24 evidence of "high treason." The deputies complain of the Russian economy suffering since the beginning of the war in Ukraine and of the Russian army being "destroyed," as young able-bodied citizens come home disabled or they die on the battlefield.
They also accuse Putin's actions of having favored the expansion of NATO towards the East and having accelerated the militarization of Ukraine, the exact opposite of what the so-called special military operation in Ukraine was supposed to achieve.
It's not the first time the Smolninskoye municipality has tried to get rid of Putin following the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The council had already addressed a letter to Putin in early March, calling the invasion of Ukraine a "sudden and unmotivated aggression against a neighboring state."
"The municipal council of Smolninskoye calls on you to stop the bloodshed. Immediately withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine and resign!" the letter read.
In an interview with Current Time TV, a Prague-based Russian-language television channel created by the U.S. organizations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America, Palyuga said the chances that the proposal will be taken on by the State Duma were "nearly zero."
"But it is important for us that there are deputies in Russia and that their voice is heard, so that they do not think that everyone in Russia supports a special military operation.

Link? Saying it's from "Newsweek" doesn't count as a link.

If this story is true, why do I sense an upcoming rash of accidents and folks that suicided themselves amongst certain deputies in Russia?

I glanced at the link... got confused with the words "he should be fired". how does one fire an elected official?

There might be an accident or two, but Putin isn't afraid to have these officials arrested, put in a BMP, and told to drive towards Ukrainian troops.

Pray they succeed.

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
I glanced at the link... got confused with the words "he should be fired". how does one fire an elected official?

Depending on the country, sometimes with a line of solders with rifles, blindfolds optional.

When these officials start jumping to their deaths out of a first floor window, you'll know who's in control over there.
A sudden cardiac event to Putin and it's the others in control.

Newsweek is beginning to read like a high school paper. It used to be respected.

I did hear from another source that Putin sent his condolences on the Queens passing.

Isn’t this a lot like Beetlejuice in Chicago whining that Trump should be impeached just with more serious repercussions to the whiner in Russia? IOW, pretty much a nothing burger?

Have these officials forgotten what Putin's old job was? You only get one shot so you'd better not screw it up. Just ask von Stauffenberg, Canaris and Rommel.

quote:

Originally posted by Marlin Fan:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...-AA11BLX2?li=BBnbfcL

MSN?

Try a credible source.

Looks like the story is legit…and with predictable response from Putin.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/...arge-him-treason.amp

Five Russian officials arrested for proposing to remove Putin from power, charge him with treason

Russian police arrested five people who proposed officials arrest and charge Vladimir Putin with treason for his decision to launch the invasion of Ukraine, which has led to catastrophic outcomes for Russia and its interests.

"The fact that several municipal deputies in St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, came forward accusing [him] of treason and calling for his removal is highly significant," Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital.

"They know the punishment will be severe. They can easily face a death sentence based on Russian federal law. The significance of this act of defiance and dissent by a handful of Russian officials cannot be possibly overstated."

The deputies appealed to the central governing body known as the Duma to punish Putin for countless deaths of military personnel, prompting economic sanctions from other nations, motivating NATO to expand and leading Ukraine to build its military power.

Their first point is that the president is blamed for the loss of the army, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant. The second problem is the economy. The deputies point to the withdrawal of investors from Russia and the "brain drain."

The group also held Putin directly responsible for prompting previously neutral Finland and Sweden to join NATO, thereby increasing the alliance’s power and presence along Russia’s border.

But, one day after seven deputies drafted their appeal, authorities ordered them to report to police for "discrediting the army." Two of the deputies left without any further action.

Ukraine’s offensive against Russia in the contested eastern Donbas region has seen a sharp change in fortune. The Ukrainian military advanced 30 miles in just three days since Sept. 1, marking significant progress during a major offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also claimed that the military managed to recapture nearly 400 square miles of territory held by the Russians over the past few months.

And Russia has suffered significant losses during its campaign. CIA director William Burns and British intelligence chief Sir Ronald Moore in July said they believed Russia had lost around 15,000 troops, with "maybe three times" as many troops wounded.

If Ukraine can maintain that momentum, it could revive pressure among officials to take action and change the fortunes of Russia, according to Koffler.

"It is possible they decided to risk their lives in order to build momentum among the Russian people to oust Putin, which is an incredibly difficult thing to do because Putin has surrounded himself with loyal security and intelligence operatives," Koffler explained. "Even two months ago, I would say that a coup in Russia is unlikely.

"Today, with Ukraine’s counter-offensive gaining steam and Russia having become as much of a pariah as North Korea, I don’t rule out the possibility of a regime change organized from within."

Koffler noted that the death of Mikhail Gorbachev may have prompted this act of defiance. Gorbachev played a role in repairing relations between the Soviet Union and the United States, and his funeral drew thousands of Russians to mourn him despite Putin’s attempt to downplay the significance by ruling out a full state funeral and not even appearing at the funeral himself.

"We may be witnessing the beginning of the next chapter in Russian history," Koffler said. "The transition period, if this is what it is, will be highly risky. After all, we are dealing with a nuclear power."

There is only one way to remove Putin from power if they're serious, and that is to go "July 20" on his ass. Half-assed measures like this aren't going to cut it.

I'll believe it when I see it .

Did Putin use the FBI to arrest the five officials?

Putin's response to this story....

If they are going to go all “July 20th” on Putin, they better not muck it up as the previous bunch did.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
There is only one way to remove Putin from power if they're serious, and that is to go "July 20" on his ass.

They should land on the moon?

Color me confused.