Press Release, 20.12.2022

Photo by Yevgenia Vlasova

On 20 December, a “government hour” was held in the State Duma, during which representatives of non-parliamentary parties could ask questions to the Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev. Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov in his speech called for peace and the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement.

“2022 is the year of severing ties with so many countries of the world, a year of tension in the international situation, and blocking of access to many information resources. Yabloko is convinced that the restoration of the situation is possible only within the framework of achieving peace and a ceasefire agreement,” Rybakov stressed.

The Chairman of Yabloko noted that the modern and effective development of digital technologies is possible only within the framework of cooperation with other countries of the world. In order for citizens not to leave Russia and build families and businesses here, they need freedom and security in their own country.

At the end of his 60-second speech, Nikolai Rybakov asked Minister Shadayev a question: “Do you think that stopping killing people is a condition for Russia’s return to the global information space?”

Minister Maksut Shadayev replied that he was not afraid of competition, while Western companies had made their own choice. And State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin lamented that Rybakov’s speech stood out from a number of speeches by other political parties.