A Russian local elected official files a complaint against Vladimir Putin for his use of the word “war”
A Russian city councilor has announced that he has filed a complaint against Vladimir Putin, whom he accuses of spreading. “fake news” to use the word “war” when describing the situation in Ukraine.
On Thursday, during a press conference, the Russian president used the word “war” while ensuring that he wanted the conflict in Ukraine to end “the earlier” possible. “Our goal is not to turn the conflict like a flywheel, but on the contrary to end this war, and that is what we strive for.”, the Russian president said. Begun on February 24, however, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is officially being called a “special military operation” by the Kremlin. The Russian authorities have introduced a law that provides for severe prison sentences for any publication of information about the convicted army “fake”.
“The Russian Federation has not started any war”wrote Nikita Iouferev, a member of the city council of Saint Petersburg (northwest), in his complaint to the Russian Prosecutor General, Igor Krasnov, the text of which was published 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, calling for Mr Putin’s remarks to be investigated and prosecuted for “spreading false information about the Russian army”.
This request has little chance of success, especially as the text from the local elected official contains numerous factual errors, such as the date of Mr Putin’s speech or the president’s name itself, written once in the feminine form. This is nevertheless a very rare initiative in the country, where repression has accelerated since the start of the offensive in Ukraine.
