Two members of the Russian parliament have strongly criticized the call made by the anti-corruption foundation led by opposition activist Alexei Navalny, urging U.S. President Joe Biden to impose sanctions on senior Russian officials.
According to Russia Today, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Igor Lebedev, condemned the request from Navalny's "Anti-Corruption Foundation" to Biden, calling it "an insult to oneself and an insult to the state," expressing his belief that this step is incorrect. He stated, "If you have any complaints against the leadership or the political and economic system, there are means to resolve issues democratically; participate in elections, register your party, and take part in the electoral campaign." Lebedev noted that supporters of Navalny have the opportunity to leave the country "if they are dissatisfied with anything in it."
For his part, Russian Senator Vladimir Jabarov emphasized that the call from Navalny's foundation to Biden could amount to high treason, questioning, "Can you imagine an American organization turning to Putin requesting sanctions against the President of the United States?" He added, "This must be firmly addressed, and the response from law enforcement agencies, such as the prosecutor's office and the Federal Security Service, must be very strict."
Jabarov described the alleged initiative from Navalny's foundation as indicative of a "corrupt institution seeking to plunge Russians back into a chasm of tragedies similar to that of 1991."
Vladimir Ashurkov, the executive director of the foundation founded by opposition figure Alexei Navalny, told CNN that the organization had called on the United States to pressure Putin to release Navalny, who has been detained on previous criminal charges since returning to Moscow from Berlin on January 17. Ashurkov, who signed the letter dated last Friday, explained that it is "addressed to the President of the United States, as the most powerful country that has a long history of imposing sanctions on individuals involved in corruption. If anyone can do something, it is the United States."
The letter, which CNN reviewed, stated that seven out of the 35 individuals named in it had previously been placed on U.S. sanctions lists, but that "current sanctions do not include enough of the appropriate individuals."
