We analyzed the statements of politicians in the Russian Federation to understand: is there anyone among them who opposes the war with Ukraine? And if so, what is their motivation?

According to our estimates, none of the State Duma deputies called for an end to the war against Ukraine. However, a number of political organizations, including the Yabluko party, PARNAS, the Oleksiy Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, and a number of other movements, oppose the war and ask Russians to attend rallies.

State Duma

Vyacheslav Markhayev, a member of the Communist Party and a member of the State Duma from the Republic of Buryatia, said that he was “sad to see what is happening around Ukraine.” The deputy pointed out that the recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics and their protection “allegedly had a different plan and design”.

However, the deputy did not call for an end to the war, did not recognize Russian aggression, and, in the end, did not express a clear position. The MP’s statement on Facebook can be found here.

Another MP from the Communist Party, Mykhailo Matveyev, condemned the war with Ukraine in his Telegram channel: “By voting for the recognition of the DPR/LPR, I voted for peace, not war. For Russia to become a shield so that Donbas won’t be bombed, not for bombing Kyiv”. The news was reported in the media, but later the deputy deleted the post, citing the fact that his statements are used to incite hatred.

Later, in an interview with Idel.Realii, Matveyev completely changed his mind, declaring the mythical development of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Nazi ideology, and legitimate rule. The deputy also stated that “Ukraine must surrender, ie accept the conditions… The Ukrainian authorities must understand the reasons why Russia is conducting a military operation.” The full interview can be read here.

Omsk oblast State Duma deputy Oleh Smolin (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) published a post on his VKontakte page. He doubted the need for Russian military action on the territory of Ukraine. The deputy is convinced that military force should be used in politics only “as a last resort”. Smolin stressed that he felt sorry for human lives — “both ours and not ours.”

However, the deputy did not call for an end to the military invasion and stated that he supported the DPR / LPR and “was and remains against the collapse of the USSR.”

Local Deputies, Other Organizations and Non-Parliamentary Parties
  • Many Russian media outlets reported that municipal deputies had signed an appeal against a “special military operation” (as Russia calls the war with Ukraine). According to various reports, this is only about 180 deputies at various levels, including municipal districts. However, the document itself is not available online, so its content and coverage can only be guessed.
  • 336 Russian economists have signed an open letter against the war. They “demand an immediate cessation of the fighting and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.”
  • The Russian non-parliamentary Yabluko party actively opposes to the war with Ukraine. The political force has a little more than ten deputies in the regional authorities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pskov region and Karelia. The Yabloko party considers the war with Ukraine to be the most serious crime and demands that President Putin immediately ceases the fighting and holds emergency international peace talks through international mediation. Even before Russia’s aggressive actions, political forces began collecting signatures against the war, but now the word war has been replaced by *** in the petition. This party is currently taking the most active position on peace with Ukraine.
  • The People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS, the leader of which was an opposition leader murdered by Putin Boris Nemtsov) has issued a statement calling for an immediate end to the war against Ukraine. This political force was also one of the organizers of the march against the war on March 5, 2022.
  • The Alexei Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, like the politician himself, who is now in prison, is asking all Russians to fight against the war and to protest. Navalny’s team called for a large anti-war rally on March 6. The Anti-Corruption Foundation also conducted several online surveys to show that more and more Russians are against the war and see Russia as an aggressor.
  • Dmytro Gudkov, a former State Duma deputy and leader of the unregistered Party of Changes, also spoke out against the war.
  • Protests against the war with Ukraine continue in Russia. From February 24 to March 6, police detained more than 13,000 protesters from 69 cities in Russia.
Impeachment of Putin

It is worth mentioning separately the initiative of the non-governmental movement “Spring”, which called on Russian citizens to appeal to their deputies and senators to initiate the procedure of impeachment of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The organization emphasizes that only one third deputies of the State Duma are needed to start initiating this issue. The organization has even prepared instructions on where to go and what to write.

The Conclusion

After analyzing whether there are opponents of Russian military aggression against Ukraine in Russian politics, we can make the following conclusions.

First of all, some deputies of the State Duma tried to condemn the war. However, fear for their political future forced them either not to speak clearly and unambiguously, or to radically change their mind.

Opposition groups have been more consistent in condemning the war, raising protests and even calling for Putin’s impeachment. However, so far their voice is not enough to stop the Russian president and the war in Ukraine. In addition, it is unclear in some cases whether such movements condemn Russia’s aggression and the killing of hundreds of civilians, or whether they are more “concerned with peace” for the sake of Russia’s own survival and economic well-being.

And yet, such rhetoric is important — it shows that not all Russian society supports the Kremlin’s decision.