A petition calling for the resignation of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been circulating in Russia since Monday, with dozens of local politicians risking prison terms to sign it.
The petition, originally signed by local Russian elected officials and published on Monday, contains a short text condemning Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and calling for him to leave.
“We, the municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of President Vladimir Putin are harming the future of the country and its citizens.
We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of president of the Russian Federation”, says the petition, which has circulated widely on social networks.
It’s a surprising display of opposition in a country where the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent has meant that Putin is rarely attacked publicly.
Since the beginning of the conflict, those who criticize the president risk jail time because of a law that criminalizes the publication of “fake news” about the invasion of Ukraine.
However, the conflict in Ukraine – or “special military operation”, as Moscow calls it – is not going as planned for the Kremlin.
Thus, amid Moscow’s setbacks and Ukraine’s counteroffensive successes, there is growing criticism among those in Russia who oppose the war.
And despite the dangers of speaking out, 84 more signatures have been added to the petition since its publication.
Meanwhile, before the petition was launched, some elected officials from a district of St. Petersburg – Putin’s hometown – went even further by sending a letter to the Duma on September 7, demanding that the president not only step down but also to be tried for “treason”.
Ksenia Torstrem, a city councilor from St. Petersburg and one of the leading voices behind the September 12 petition calling for Putin’s resignation, said: “We wanted to express our support for our friends from Smolninskoye (St. Petersburg district, the elected officials of to whom they demanded that Vladimir Putin be tried for treason)”.
“We admire their courage and we can only regret the trouble they are having now with the police, who accuse them of discrediting the armed forces.”
“Local elected officials consulted with each other to find out what we could do to express our solidarity. And in the current context it is not easy, without risking trouble with the authorities”.
“So we thought a petition was the safest course. In Russia, signing a petition is not against the law,” she said.