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Opposition should address anti-war slogans to Kiev, not to Russia leadership

Russia's State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin says “civil activists and oppositionists will channel their peace-loving energy to affect the public opinion in Ukraine and other European countries”
Russia's State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin ITAR-TASS/Vyacheslav Prokofyev
Russia's State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin
© ITAR-TASS/Vyacheslav Prokofyev

MOSCOW, August 25, 16:06 /ITAR-TASS/. Opposition should have addressed anti-war slogans to the Kiev authorities, but not Russian leadership, Russia's State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin told reporters, answering a question on how he takes an idea of holding ‘a march of peace’ which several opposition representatives proposed to hold on September 21.

“If they want to name it as ‘a march of peace’, this is correct,” Sergei Naryshkin said. The question is for which purpose organisers want to hold it. “All of them want to restore peace in Ukraine and stop a fratricidal war in the country,” the Russian lawmaker said.

He recalled that back in May the State Duma addressed all lawmakers in the world, warning about a threat of a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine.

“With anti-war slogans, you should address not to Russian leadership, which is not a party to this conflict, but primarily Kiev authorities which are carrying out a punitive operation against their own citizens and those politicians in the West who support such actions,” Naryshkin said. “By the way, Kiev stages not ‘marches of peace’, but military parades,” the lawmaker added.

In this regard, the politician said with hope that “civil activists and oppositionists will channel their peace-loving energy to affect the public opinion in Ukraine and other European countries.”

The committee of protest actions decided to hold a massive action in the way of a march on September 21, committee’s member Sergei Davidis told ITAR-TASS earlier. For his part, co-chair of Russian opposition party RPR-Parnas Boris Nemtsov, also a lawmaker in a regional legislature in the Volga River city of Yaroslavl, confirmed intentions of this party to participate in the public action. He acknowledged that traditional participants in opposition actions on Bolotnaya Square and Sakharov Avenue had split on Ukrainian issue. “Probably the leftists and nationalists will not back us, but we hope that the Yabloko party, Solidarity movement, Alexei Navalny’s party (the Party of Progress) will participate in it (the march). Peace supporters can participate in preparing it, as committee meetings are held openly,” the oppositionist added.