As Ukraine's counterattack has surprised Russian forces in the east, sending Russia troops retreating, opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting louder.
A tweet early Monday morning shows a petition from Russian municipal deputies calling for Putin's resignation.
"Mundeps demand Putin's resignation: Municipal deputies from 18 different districts of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kolpino demand Putin's resignation," the translation of the post reads. "The text of the petition is concise and does not 'discredit' anyone. If you are a mundep and want to join, you are welcome."
There are more than 30 Russian municipal deputies now signed on to the petition circulated by St. Petersburg's Xenia Torstrem, according to reports.
"We, the municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of President Vladimir Putin harm the future of Russia and its citizens," the petition reads, according to The Hill translation. "We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of President of the Russian Federation!"
Opposition to Putin has become emboldened amid the recent gains of the Ukraine counteroffensive, which Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has credited to an influx of weapons and aid from the United States.
The deputies signing on by name in public opposition to Putin is risky, particularly considering past Kremlin moves to stifle anti-Putin and protests to the "special military operation."
A new law has put the sharing of "fake news" reports on the operation to a potential punishment of up to 15 years in prison, according to The Hill.
"People who convinced President Putin that the operation will be fast and effective," former Russian parliament member Boris Nadezhdin said on TV recently, according to the report. "These people really set up all of us."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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