Samara Governor proposes "reforge" relocants with a sledgehammer

Dmitry Azarov, the Governor of the Samara region, has declared his readiness to welcome back Russians who left after the beginning of the war. He intends to re-educate them using for this purpose a sledgehammer. He made this statement to the "Pod'yem" publication on October 12.

Responding to journalists' question if he was prepared to accept back home those Russians who left the country after the beginning of the war, Samara Governor Dmitry Azarov quoted Vladimir Vysotsky, saying, "A sledgehammer to me - so I will reforge anyone into my own."

The Governor agrees with the position of Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma speaker, who is against letting the relocants back in. Azarov referred to the Samara region as "the center of the anti-fascist movement."

On October 10, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma speaker, promised "Magadan" to Russians who had "wished victory to the Kyiv regime." He called on Duma members to do everything possible to prevent the return of relocants. However, Sergei Nosov, Governor of the Magadan region, asked not to use stereotypes about the region, saying that, "Kolyma does not accept traitors." According to Nosov, the region needs "knowledgeable, educated, and skilled individuals."

A few days earlier, Dmitry Peskov, the Presidential Spokesperson, said that those willing to come back from exile can do it safely. However, following the words of the Duma speaker, Peskov clarified that those who had taken a strongly anti-Russian position were not welcome.

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