Russian lawmaker and war hawk Andrei Gurulev was reassigned from the lower-house State Duma’s Defense Committee to the Committee on Regional Policy and Local Self-Government.
The reassignment follows reports that the Gurulev, a retired military officer, defied the Kremlin’s requests to “temper” his frequent state TV appearances, which have raised his public profile since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“The problem was that his military career and committee membership gave the perception that he represents the Defense Ministry,” the Kommersant business newspaper quoted an unnamed government official as saying Friday.
Experts cited by Kommersant said they expect Gurulev, a member of the ruling United Russia party, to be removed from the State Duma entirely by the 2026 elections.
Gurulev is under U.S. and U.K. sanctions over his support of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He is a regular guest on Russian state TV political talk shows, where he has advocated for nuclear strikes on Western countries and the “destruction” of domestic critics.
A State Duma resolution on Tuesday formally reassigned Gurulev. However, as of noon Wednesday, the legislature’s website still listed him as a member of the Defense Committee rather than the Regional Policy Committee.
Gurulev, 57, said he “fully supports” his reassignment, citing his work “on the ground.”
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