Russian Far East Primorsky Krai provincial legislatures have issued a statement calling for an immediate withdrawal from Ukraine by opposition state lawmakers.
As reported by AFP news agency local time on the 27th, riots erupted after a Communist Party member, Leonid Bashkevich, read a statement at a Primorsky provincial legislative session calling for the immediate withdrawal of Russian soldiers.
Assemblyman Bashkevic said, "If we do not stop military operations (in Ukraine), there will be more orphans in our country (Russia) than now."
He is also said to have emphasized, "Many people became disabled during military operations. These are young people who can make a significant contribution to our country."
Although the Communist Party is nominally an opposition party, in reality it has taken a stance in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The statement read by Assemblyman Bashkevic had the signatures of four state legislators, including him, but two of them denied joining the statement.
Primorsky Provincial Governor Oleg Kozemiako and several state legislators attempted to stop Bashkevich from speaking, in the process calling him a "traitor" and he "damaged the trust of the Russian military". He has also been known to criticize him.
Shortly after the statement was released, the Primorsky Provincial Legislature, after a vote, decided to deprive Assemblyman Bashkevic and others from speaking at the meeting.
The leadership of the Communist Party of the Primorsky Territory said, "We will take the most severe measures," saying lawmaker Bashkevic and others issued a statement without prior agreement with the party.
With the prolonged war in Ukraine, public opinion against the war seems to be gradually spreading in Russia.
On the 23rd, Boris Bondarev, a Russian diplomat in Geneva, Switzerland, submitted a resignation letter to the Russian delegation to the Russian Federation in Geneva, in protest against the invasion of Ukraine.