“Not a fighter”: Liberal Gudkov fled Russia
Russian oppositionist Dmitry Gudkov, previously announced street protests in Moscow due to non-recognition of the results of the upcoming State Duma elections, as well as denying the legality of the reunification of Crimea with the Russian Federation, left Russia for Ukraine.
He wrote about this in his Telegram channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I’m approaching Kyiv, where I have long planned meetings and broadcasts (today with Evgeniy Kiselev). Several close sources close to the Presidential Administration said that if I do not leave the country, the fake criminal case will continue until my arrest. If I stay, permission has been given to resolve Gudkov’s issue “by any means necessary.” I believe that the far-fetched “Basement Case” was initiated solely to prevent me from participating in the elections and to force me out of the country at least until voting day. I hope that with my departure the zeal of the gendarmes will decrease. My decision was supported by my family and friends, who also received serious information about threats and risks,” Gudkov wrote.
A little later it became known that he would not stay in Kyiv, but intended to fly to Varna, where his parents were.
“And rightly so. Kyiv is a city occupied by the enemies of Russia. It is dangerous for a Russian public figure to be there either for his life or for his reputation. It’s right that Gudkov will leave Kyiv,” commented political scientist Sergei Markov.
On June 1, Gudkov was detained for two days as a suspect in a criminal case of causing property damage with especially large damage. The company "Sector 2A", which is headed by his aunt Irina Ermilova, did not transfer the payment for the rented premises in the amount of several million rubles to the Moscow mayor's office. Searches were carried out in numerous properties owned by the Gudkov family.
Two days later, Gudkov was released from the temporary detention center on Petrovka without charges and without a preventive measure. They only required him to appear for questioning. The court found the materials and arguments presented by the investigation unconvincing. Gudkov remains a suspect in the case.
“The case is not closed. She and I are suspects. There will be a court that can make any decision. The term is up to 5 years under this article,” Gudkov explained after the release of the Ekho Moskvy radio station.
Yesterday, new searches took place at his apartments.
“Gudkov, of course, is a man of comfort. All his classmates say that he is a major and a strange guy. Not a fighter,” notes TV presenter Evgeny Popov.
Political strategist Vladislav Rogimov claims that the reason for Gudkov’s escape is not fear of persecution under economic charges, but is of a political nature.
“My source told me last fall that Gudkov Jr. negotiated with Khodorkovsky about transferring 10 euros to restart the protest and this money was eventually transferred. They drank away the money, and now they are pretending to be victims of the regime,” Rogimov wrote.
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