A member of Russia's ruling United Russia party who is accused of calling President Vladimir Putin a "swamp schmuck" will be expelled and barred from running for local office next month.
United Russia said in a statement Tuesday that Yulia Trukhmanova, a member of the Marx city council in Russia's southern Saratov region, will be expelled due to making "outrageous, absurd and frankly stupid statements... about the leadership of our country."
In an audio recording reportedly of a private conversation between her and political candidate Dmitry Lipensky, dated August 7, Trukhmanova appeared to say that Putin was a "swamp schmuck" and a "nobody" before he came to power in 1999.
"A decision was made to expel her from the party and faction. She will also be excluded from the list of candidates for deputies of the representative body of the new convocation from United Russia," Russia's ruling party said, noting that the issue will be considered at a meeting "in the very near future."
Trukhmanova has claimed that the audio recording was "doctored", issuing a statement on her VKontakte page that the phrases were "taken out of context" and "had nothing to do with the president."
She said she intends to take legal action "to protect my honor, dignity and business reputation."
"The content of the posted audio recording does not correspond to the meaning of the conversation," said Trukhmanova.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
Members of the Russian public, commenting on the statement, rushed to Trukhmanova's defense.
"Yulia Evgenievna, you are a decent, kind and dedicated person! We are with you, and we will succeed! But Lipensky, his act is dirty, low, vile," wrote VKontakte user Oksana Egorova.
Another user, Andrey Vosk, said that "by this act Lipensky got rid of a competitor" and "he got PR around his name."
"Don't be afraid of anything," VKontakte user Konstantin Kopanev commented, saying that Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin "told the truth and is still alive," referencing the mercenary group leader's criticism of the Kremlin's top brass prior to his failed mutiny in June.
Alexander Nikishin said the move to expel Trukhmanova "is the meaning of Putin's power," adding: "You can't speak the truth."
Russia's 2024 presidential election is expected to be held on March 17 next year, with some regional elections taking place next month. Putin is expected to soon announce his bid for a sixth overall presidential term. Per constitutional changes made prior to the war in Ukraine, Putin may remain in power until 2036.
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Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
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