The police did not find any signs of discrediting the army in the post published by Ksenia Chernova, a deputy from Marks, Saratov Oblast. She criticized Russian authorities and condemned the war in Ukraine after parents in a local kindergarten were asked to bring drawings for soldiers. Chernova shared her story with '7x7' on January 17.
In November, Ksenia Chernova wrote a post where she criticized Putin, the ruling party United Russia, and the war in Ukraine. She made this statement after parents of children attending Marks Kindergarten #14 were asked to collect drawings for soldiers.
"Go screw yourselves along with your demands! I am fed up with it. First, they collect underpants and socks, then drawings. I understand that these orders come from the education department, but people there must realize that not everybody supports this 'special military operation.' Personally I don’t! Neither 'smo,' nor Putin, nor 'Unitwit Russia'," wrote Chernova in a VK group.
Igor Derevyanko, a member of the United Russia party, demanded an investigation into Chernova's statement for signs of discrediting the army. The deputy shared with '7x7' that she received the results of a linguistic expertise in December. The specialists did not classify her statement as negative towards the army. The words 'Unitwit Russia' were characterized as 'condescending disapproval with a hint of arrogance and vulgar expressiveness.' It is worth noting that the original Russian text features the term 'edrosnya,' which is consonant with the words 'Edinaya Rossiya' ('United Russia') and a popular homophobic slur.
Deputy Andrei Kuznetsov and volunteers from Marks filed a complaint against Ksenia Chernova with the Investigative Committee. In response, Chernova requested investigators to examine the deputy for potential liability under the article on inciting hatred or enmity.
In December, Chernova submitted her letter of resignation from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) because the party selected 75-year-old Nikolai Kharitonov as their candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. The deputy stated that she is opposed to 71-year-old Vladimir Putin and cannot support someone of his age. Instead, she endorsed the anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin and is actively collecting signatures for him.
