Press Release, 2.12.2020

Photo: Sofia Pugachyova and her lawyer Yelena Mayatnikova

In September 2019, two Yabloko activists and deputies – 38-year-old Sofya Pugachyova from Novorzhev and 59-year-old Svetlana Vasilkova from Pustoshka won elections and became heads of districts. However, representatives of the ruling United Russia party began to interfere with their performance of their duties, among other things, United Russia deputies decided to give “bad” marks to Yabloko’s heads of districts for their activities, so that to dismiss them from their posts despite their due diligence and good implementation of their duties.

On 30 November, the Pushkinogorsk District Court fully satisfied the claim submitted by Sofia Pugachyova, head of the Novorzhevsky district, elected in 2019 from Yabloko, to the Council of Deputies of the Novorzhevsky District. Pugachyova claimed that the decision by the Council of Deputies on recognition of her performance unsatisfactory was politically motivated and unjust.

The court ordered the Council of Deputies of the Novorzhevsky District to publish in the regional newspaper the news on the recognition of the unsatisfactory assessment of the activities of the head of the district for 2019 as null and void. The publication should be made within 15 days from the date the court decision entering into force.

Earlier, on 4 September, a similar decision was passed by the Opochetsky District Court at the lawsuit of Svetlana Vasilkova, head of the Pustoshkinsky District, who was also elected for the post from Yabloko in 2019, to the Council of Deputies of the Pustoshkinsky District.

In the case of Vasilkova, the court declared null and void the decision of the Council of Deputies run by the ruling party on the unsatisfactory assessment of the activities of the head of the district for 2019 from the date of taking her office and also ordered the Council of Deputies to publish this news in the regional newspaper within 15 days from the date the court’s decision entering into force.

On 12 November, the Pskov Regional Court confirmed the decision of the Opochetsky District Court on Vasilkova, and it entered into force.

On 27 November, the 15-day period for publication of the court’s decision on Pugachyova in the Vperyod newspaper expired. The Council of Deputies of the Pustoshkinsky District did not fulfill this part of the court decision.

The interests of Sofya Pugachyova and Svetlana Vasilkova were represented in the court by Yelena Mayatnikova, lawyer of the Pskov branch of Yabloko.

The interests of the Council of Deputies of the Pustoshkinsky District and the Council of Deputies of the Novorzhevsky District were represented in court by the lawyers of ZAO ZETO (a holding owned by Nikolai and Alexander Kozlovskies). Nikolai Kozlovsky is the head of the city of Velikiye Luki. Alexander Kozlovsky is Secretary of the Regional Political Council of the ruling United Russia party and deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from the Pskov region.