Vladimir Putin is gagging Russian officials who have dared to criticize his war in Ukraine, and the Russian leader has banned state media from quoting them.
The Kremlin has launched a campaign to silence prominent politicians who have been frustrated by Putin’s invasion, which has killed at least 100,000 Russian soldiers.
The list of officials who have been critical of the war was given to state media with the instruction to stop quoting them in their reports, sources close to the state Duma and the media operation told a Russian news outlet. Verstka.
Among those reportedly on the list is Andrei Kartopolov, Head of the Duma Defense Committee, who last month called on the Kremlin to “stop lying” to the Russians about battlefield losses in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin is gagging Russian officials who have dared to criticize his war in Ukraine, and the Russian leader has even banned state media from quoting them. Among those reportedly on the list is Andrei, the head of the Duma Defense Committee, who last month called on the Kremlin to “stop lying.” to the Russians about battlefield losses in Ukraine.
Another is Andrei Gurulev, a senior member of the State Duma, who criticized a commander after Russia’s defeat in the Ukrainian city of Lyman. “After Lyman’s surrender, he began to openly scold the Defense Ministry,” a source told the Russian media outlet.
Gurulev also said that Russian commanders are too afraid to tell Putin about battlefield losses.
“It’s a problem of total lies and positive reporting from top to bottom,” Gurulev said.
The Kremlin has also targeted Viktor Zavarzin, a state Duma deputy who has criticized the war, as well as Andrei Krazov, Kartapolov’s first deputy.
A source close to the state Duma said state media have been told to avoid quoting officials who have been critical of the war.
State media were told that if they were to be quoted, it must be ‘just from [news agencies] and in a minimal amount if the news agenda requires it,’ said a source within a media organization.
