St. Petersburg Officials Demand Vladimir Putin Be Tried for Treason in Letter

Several municipal lawmakers in St. Petersburg are calling on Russia’s State Duma to charge Vladimir Putin with treason, according to a local lawmaker. Dmitry Palyuga, a deputy with the Smolninskoye municipal council, announced the news on Twitter late Wednesday, sharing a copy of the letter he said had been prepared for Russian lawmakers. “The decision [to send the request to the State Duma] was supported by the majority of deputies present,” he wrote, without specifying exactly how many lawmakers had voted in favor of the move. The letter notes that the lawmakers in Putin’s hometown want him removed from power for his “special military operation” against Ukraine, which they said constitutes high treason. In addition to scores of Russian troops getting killed in the war, the letter notes, “Russia’s economy is suffering” as a result of foreign companies leaving and a huge segment of the population fleeing. NATO is also “expanding” as a result of Putin’s war, despite his declared goal being to stop the alliance from growing, the letter says, adding that the Russian leader’s “demilitarization of Ukraine” has also backfired spectacularly as the West provides more weapons. “We believe that President Putin’s decision to begin the [special military operation] is harming Russia’s security and its citizens,” the letter reads. Notably, the lawmakers made no mention of Putin’s senseless motivations for the war, though they had previously sent him an open letter condemning his “historical fantasies” and demanding he stop the “bloodshed” in neighboring Ukraine.