Russian Duma Mic Switched Off As Lawmaker Calls for Ukraine Ceasefire

A veteran Russian opposition politician's microphone was switched off as he called for a ceasefire in Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine on Tuesday.

A video of Boris Vishnevsky, deputy leader of the liberal Yabloko party, shows the moment his address at a meeting on the St. Petersburg budget was cut short as he urged negotiations begin to bring the conflict to an end.

Yabloko is a social-liberal party that has deputies in five regional parliaments: Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Pskov region, Karelia and Kostroma.

Vishnevsky, who has remained in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, was charged with "discrediting the Russian army" in January for signing an open later urging Russia's Investigative Committee to probe the massacre of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, in March last year.

Russia's parliament passed legislation in March 2022 imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for intentionally spreading "fake" news about Russia's army. The Kremlin has used the law to crack down on those who veer away from Putin's narrative of the war.

During the meeting on the city budget on Tuesday, Vishnevsky said that the Yabloko party stands "for an early ceasefire and the start of negotiations," and that the presented draft city budget "involves the continuation of a special military operation."

"Special military operation" is the term Putin uses to describe his war in Ukraine.

Vishnevsky wasn't allowed to complete his address, and his microphone was switched off.

Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Alexander Belsky told Vishnevsky that "this is not a platform for political statements" and that "one must speak according to the budget.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment via email.

Last week, the Yabloko press service announced that the party's founder, Grigory Yavlinsky, met with Putin at the Kremlin on October 25, and that "the main subject of discussion was the need for a ceasefire agreement in the Northern Military District."

"The leader of Yabloko believes that it is necessary to begin negotiations on a ceasefire as soon as possible and is ready to personally participate in them. Grigory Yavlinsky outlined his position in detail," the Yabloko party said in a statement.

Yavlinsky, 71, who has twice run against Putin in presidential elections, told Newsweek in a phone interview from Moscow in March that he wants "a ceasefire to happen before thousands and thousands of people are killed."

"It's necessary to do it as soon as possible," said Yavlinsky. "I think that nobody's winning. This is a dead end, okay? This is a dead end, nobody can win in that kind of situation.

"That's why I'm saying that a ceasefire is necessary. And it's necessary to stop killing people. Because there are no positive developments. There is no positive future."

Yavlinsky described the first 12 months of the war "the most difficult and painful year" in his life. When asked whether he has concerns about speaking publicly against Putin, the politician said he tries not to think about it, "otherwise, it would be not possible to work."

"I was an opponent of Putin in presidential elections twice, and there were millions of people which were voting for me. So it's my obligation to say the truth and to say what I think, especially in that dangerous situation," he said. "What will be the consequences? We'll see."

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