Kremlin Ousts Official Who Called Ukraine War A ‘Catastrophe’

Topline

The Kremlin dismissed Natalia Poklonskaya from her government role Monday, just weeks after she became one of the few Russian officials to criticize its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in the latest sign of the Russian government’s crackdown on war dissidence.

Key Facts

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree announcing Poklonskaya’s ouster as the deputy head of Russia’s Rossotrudnichestvo foreign outreach agency after just four months in the role, she shared in a Telegram post.

Poklonskaya said her departure is so she can take on a new job, and there’s no explicit reason listed in the decree for her dismissal – but the timing is likely connected to her comments on the invasion.

In April, the Ukrainian-born Poklonskaya called the war a “catastrophe,” according to the Moscow Times, and she decried the tragedy of the invasion in a viral April 19 interview that has more than 300,000 views on YouTube.

Poklonskaya also spoke out against the notorious pro-war Russian “Z” symbol, calling it a sign of “tragedy and grief for both Russia and Ukraine,” leading Rossotrudnichestvo chief Yevgeny Primakov to quickly speak out in defense of the letter.

Crucial Quote

“People are dying, houses and entire cities are destroyed [leaving] millions of refugees,” Poklonskaya said in April, according to the Moscow Times. Bodies and souls are mutilated. My heart is bursting with pain. My two native countries are killing each other, that’s not what I wanted and it’s not what I want.”

Key Background

Formerly an official in the Ukrainian government, Poklonskaya has held several roles for Russia since it forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, first serving as the lead prosecutor for the region. She was a member of the Russian State Duma from 2016 to 2021 before becoming the country’s ambassador to Cape Verde in 2021, a post she relinquished to work for the Rossotrudnichestvo. Russia has stifled any criticism of its war in Ukraine, making it a crime punishable with up to 15 years in prison to go against the government’s approved narrative of the war. Few government employees have dared to speak out, though state-run television employee Marina Ovsyannikov famously protested the invasion on-air in March and a small group of legislators in Russia’s ​​Primorye region called for Putin to end the invasion last month.

Surprising Fact

Amid her prominence in the international coverage of the Crimea annexation in 2014, Poklonskaya became an unlikely sensation among anime fans. Her Telegram profile picture is an anime rendering of her with a Russian flag.

Further Reading

Ex-Crimea Prosecutor Poklonskaya Slams Russia’s Pro-War ‘Z’ Symbol (Moscow Times)