Kremlin spokesman not seen in public since critical statement about Russian elections: “They are not really democratic” | War Ukraine and Russia

“Our presidential election is not really democratic, it’s just bureaucratic,” Peskov said in an interview with The New York Times published Aug. 6. The Kremlin spokesman also predicted that current President Vladimir Putin “will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote”.

But shortly after publication, Peskov reversed his statement. “The author of the article has completely misinterpreted my words,” state media quoted him as saying. In his defense, Peskov stood up for his big boss. “The president insists that the elections be held without fail, because that is a requirement of a democracy,” he corrected himself. But although Putin has decided to hold elections, according to the spokesman, they might as well not take place. “Because it is already clear that he will be president again.”

Several Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels have noted that Peskov has not held any press conferences or briefings since the infamous statements. It is therefore speculated that the Kremlin spokesman would have been punished for his blunder. However, other sources, including Russian news anchor Ksenia Sobchak, contradict that, claiming that Peskov is “just on vacation.”

It would not be the first time that a top man from Putin’s ‘inner circle’ suddenly disappears after coloring outside the lines. For example, nothing has been heard since last month from Sergei Surovikin (56), who is accused of being a sympathizer of the Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Soerovikin would have been aware of Prigozhin’s plans to organize an armed mutiny at the end of June.