State Duma deputy from Buryatia, Vyacheslav Markhaev, demanded a public plan to end the war in Ukraine.
State Duma Deputy from the Republic of Buryatia, Vyacheslav Markhaev (CPRF), harshly criticized the federal authorities and the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. The parliamentarian openly stated that the protracted military conflict, corruption, and disregard for domestic problems are leading Russia to a large-scale social upheaval. He demanded that the country's leadership present a clear and public plan for ending the Second Military Operation.
"The time of illusions is over": Markhaev on losses and sabotage of decrees
On his official Telegram channel, the Buryatia representative to the State Duma published a detailed post in which he harshly criticized the ineffectiveness of the current governance system. He believes that ignoring the existing problems is no longer an option.
"I am forced to acknowledge that corruption scandals are coupled with ongoing losses of the most active and reproductive population due to ineffective leadership. Attacks on our cities continue, and their geography is expanding," wrote State Duma deputy Vyacheslav Markhayev.
He called on federal authorities to immediately stop wasting resources on geopolitics and focus entirely on addressing citizens' pressing, fundamental problems. Markhayev specifically pointed out that local executive authorities are completely sabotaging the Kremlin's decisions.
"By various estimates, up to 99% of [the president's] decrees remain mere words," Markhaev noted. "The time for illusions is over. The country is on the brink of a social explosion, and all responsibility for this will fall on the permanent government."
Context: The political stance of the "lone dissenting" senator
For many years, Vyacheslav Markhaev has maintained a reputation as one of the most systemic, yet publicly critical, regional politicians within the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. In 2020, Markhaev, then a member of the Federation Council representing the Irkutsk Region, became the only Russian senator to openly vote against the adoption of amendments to the Russian Constitution (which included the provision to reset presidential term limits).
Six months before this historic vote, he also publicly criticized security agencies and city authorities for the brutal dispersal of peaceful protests in Moscow.
Pressure on the politician and his supporters in the region continues today. This year, law enforcement agencies filed administrative charges against Markhaev himself and several other Buryat communist deputies for violating the federal law on rallies. The law enforcement agencies launched their persecution after the deputies held routine public meetings with their supporters.
