Support The Moscow Times!

Duma Speaker Tells Rutskoi To Talk Less and Write More

Ivan Rybkin, the speaker of the State Duma, has warned Alexander Rutskoi to stop giving interviews and stick to writing his memoirs, Interfax reported Thursday.


"It would behoove Rutskoi, who has just left a place that is well-suited for deep thought, to be silent and finish writing his six volumes, and not give interviews 15 hours a day," the agency quoted Rybkin as saying at a Wednesday press conference in Washington, where he led a delegation of Russian lawmakers.


The State Duma voted to grant amnesty to Rutskoi and other leaders of last October's parliament uprising against President Boris Yeltsin, leading to their release from prison Feb 26.


Rybkin spoke after Rutskoi's meeting with Richard Nixon had caused Yeltsin to angrily cancel all government meetings with the former president.


Rutskoi said after his release from prison that he would refrain from giving interviews for a month, and has, with the exception of a short interview in Izvestia over the weekend, kept his word.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more