A deputy who did not stand for the national anthem of Russia was given a summons to the military enlistment office

In the city of Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga region, the court fined a deputy from the CPRF Alexander Lependin five thousand rubles. At the meeting of the district assembly, Lependin did not stand up during the performance of the national anthem of Russia. Later, he was released to the commission on ethics, where he was given a summons to the military enlistment office.

Lependin stated that he remained sitting during the performance of the anthem due to poor health. His legs hurt a lot. However, according to Vyacheslav Parfyonov, the head of the administration of the Maloyaroslavets district, Lependin expressed his political position in this way and “dishonored the authorities”.

The court fined Lependin under the article “Violation of the order of official use of state symbols”. The article actually states that listening to the national anthem while sitting is an offence.

According to Lependin, the summons from the military enlistment office contained an order to appear for clarification of military registration data. The deputy reported that he confirmed his data in the department and that he is unfit for military service due to his health.

• This week, residents of at least 43 regions of Russia began to receive summonses, including for military gatherings. Meetings can be held only by presidential decree, lawyer Pavel Chikov notes. At the moment, such a decree has not been published.