Local Russian lawmaker who spoke out against war in Ukraine and called Putin a monster reportedly put on wanted list

Sergey Medvedev, a lawmaker in the Perm City Duma who criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoke out against the war in Ukraine, has been added to a wanted list, according to anonymous Telegram channel PogonyGalstuky and news outlet Ura.ru.

A source close to law enforcement says that Medvedev was added to the wanted list after he left Russia for Kazakhstan on January 13.

In an interview with a correspondent from local news outlet 59.ru on January 15, Medevdev refused to confirm that he left the country, but wouldn’t say where he was located. Medvedev said local police contacted him and asked him to come speak with them.

On December 31, Medvedev made a post on Russian social media platform VKontakte which said the following:

May the creature who unleashed this bloody massacre die! May cruel punishment befall all those responsible for hundreds of thousands of ruined lives!

It’s scary to see what Russia has turned into. Deceived, maddened people, come to your senses!

Russia, wake up! They’re killing you!

It’s horrible to realize that the monster who’s behind this is running for election again.

I want the war to end!

I want to see Russia free from Putin’s shackles.

On January 11, screenshots of Medvedev’s post appeared on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels. Afterwards, the leadership of the Perm Krai Communist Party committee said that they had expelled the deputy from the party and from the Perm City Duma’s communist faction.