The deputy allowed himself a personal one – Newspaper Kommersant No. 3 (7448) dated 01/11/2023

Secretary of the General Council of “United Russia” (ER) Andrey Turchak lashed out with sharp criticism at another regional deputy who went on holiday abroad for the New Year holidays. This time, Denis Dolzhenko, a member of the United Russia faction in the Legislative Assembly of the Vologda Oblast, came under attack after publishing a photo from Dubai (UAE). Mr. Turchak promised to deprive him of his membership card, but it soon became clear that Mr. Dolzhenko was not a member of the United Russia. Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov did not see anything criminal in the actions of the deputy, but nevertheless offered to evaluate his “postering and narcissism” of the commission on ethics and leadership of the United Russia faction.

Denis Dolzhenko pissed off Andrey Turchak their selfie from Dubai on VKontakte, published on January 6. “I don’t ski very well, and running in such a cold weather is not very comfortable. I listened to the recommendations of weather forecasters, warmed up, ”Mr. Dolzhenko wrote. Mr. Turchak reacted to this post late on the evening of January 9, accusing the deputy of “losing touch with reality” in “difficult times.” “During these holidays, several high-profile situations happened when representatives of the United Russia deputy corps showed themselves inadequately. You can do a lot of things in life – run, dive, ski… But there is a time and a place for everything. Another one of our MPs tomorrow (January 10.— “b”) will be deprived of membership card. I ran … “- wrote the Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia in his Telegram channelaccompanying the post with a link to a message about Denis Dolzhenko’s vacation abroad.

The deputy himself told Kommersant that he is non-partisan, although he is a member of the United Russia faction.

“Any decision should be objective and motivated, with the argumentation of violated norms, and not emotional. I am on official leave, I took it in order, on the recommendations of doctors, to take the child to the sea and show it to specialists. Since when did vacation become a crime? – said Mr. Dolzhenko, adding that he was not the only one of the deputies who “was abroad on New Year’s holidays.”

Following Andriy Turchak, the parliamentarian was criticized and Governor of the Vologda Oblast Oleg Kuvshinnikov (ER), who reproached Denis Dolzhenko for “posturing and narcissism.” “When fellow countrymen risk their lives and defend the interests of our country with weapons in their hands, someone considers it permissible, as before, to go on vacation to luxury resorts and report about it on social networks. And then, with incredible perseverance in the comments, to prove rightly indignant people that there is nothing criminal in this. There is really no crime in this. There is something else: the public demand for justice. With officials and deputies, he is a hundred times tougher than with bloggers and other celebrities, ”Mr. Kuvshinnikov wrote in his Telegram channel. He proposed to consider the case of Mr. Dolzhenko to the parliamentary commission on ethics and leadership of the United Russia faction in the Legislative Assembly. “I am sure that the commission will make the right decision, which people expect from it,” the governor concluded.

The speaker of the Legislative Assembly soon responded to the call and United Russia faction leader Andriy Lutsenko, who instructed the committee on regulations and parliamentary activities “to prepare for an extended meeting, where an assessment will be given to the actions of deputy Dolzhenko.” According to Mr. Lutsenko, his faction colleague “forgets about the moral side of the issue” when “stubbornly in the comments he proves that he does not violate any norms.” “It is unacceptable for deputies to behave in this way in our time. Now the country is going through a difficult political and economic situation. For all, the priority is to support our military personnel participating in the NWO and their families. I am sure that Denis Evgenievich will draw appropriate conclusions from the current situation, ”the speaker wrote during “In contact with”.

On Tuesday evening, it became known that the Presidium of the General Council of United Russia expelled Deputy Dolzhenko from among the party’s supporters for committing “actions discrediting the party.”

The presidium also recommended that the United Russia faction in the Vologda Legislative Assembly exclude Mr. Dolzhenko from its membership and “initiate a decision to dismiss him from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Policy and Property.”

Recall, two days earlier, Andrei Turchak spoke even more emotionally about the independent deputy of the Kursk Regional Duma Maxim Vasiliev, who recorded a playful video greeting on the New Year from Mexico. The secretary of the General Council of the United Russia described the behavior of the Kursk parliamentarian as “the height of cynicism and inhumanity” and recommended that he and his wife, a deputy of the Kursk City Assembly from the United Russia, surrender their mandates. “I don’t know what will inspire the Vasilievs to this decision: “Wagner’s sledgehammer”, “Starovoit’s kick” (Governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoit.— “b”) or the realization of their insignificance, albeit belated, but I hope that after the New Year holidays the ranks of the Kursk deputies will thin out, ”concluded Mr. Turchak. Maxim Vasilyev called the scandal “sucked out of thin air” and refused to give up his mandate.

President of the Center for Regional Policy Development Ilya Grashchenkov believes that against the backdrop of a special operation and partial mobilization, such vacations of deputies are “perceived by the population with extreme hostility,” which is reflected in the United Russia rating. Therefore, the authorities, according to the expert, headed for the cosplay of Soviet propaganda: “It is known that Stalin’s PR was that he wears the same tunic, sleeps on a small sofa right in his office and does not like luxury. Turchak in this case stands for the same asceticism.

Alexander Tikhonov, Yaroslavl