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Vladimir Putin 'schmuck' and a ‘nobody’, Russian official said. Then she was…
Yulia Trukhmanova was heard calling Vladimir Putin a "swamp schmuck" and a "nobody".
A member of Russia's ruling United Russia party who called the country's president Vladimir Putin a "swamp schmuck" will be expelled and barred from running for local office next month. The party informed in a statement 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."
Yulia Trukhmanova was heard calling Vladimir Putin a "swamp schmuck" and a "nobody" before he came to power in 1999 in an audio recording of a private conversation between her and political candidate Dmitry Lipensky dated August 7, it was reported.
"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. The issue will be considered at a meeting “in the very near future”, it said.
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Yulia Trukhmanova claimed that the audio recording was "doctored" saying that the phrases were "taken out of context" and "had nothing to do with the president."
She said that she intends to take legal action “to protect my honor, dignity and business reputation," adding, “The content of the posted audio recording does not correspond to the meaning of the conversation.”
Russia's 2024 presidential election is expected to be held on March 17 next year, with some regional elections taking place next month. Vladimir Putin is expected to soon announce his bid for a sixth overall presidential term. According to constitutional changes made prior to the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin may remain in power until 2036.
