Russian Opposition Forms 'Parallel Parliament' With 'Armed Resistance' To Fight Putin

A member of the Russian opposition party Thursday revealed that they are forming a parallel parliament with "armed resistance" to fight against President Vladimir Putin's regime, according to a report.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, prominent Russian politician Ilya Ponomarev said the parallel parliament will serve as a "transitional Russian administration." But he added that it is still in its early stages and would need to grow further to become an efficient alternative to Putin's administration.

"This is happening for the first time in Russia's history. We will form a parallel parliament, which will become the transitional Russian administration. It will be in the hands of Ukraine and foreign nations to recognize it as the alternative to Putin. The established organization should develop armed resistance and start efficiently fighting against Putin," Ponomarev said.

"The partisan movement in Russia is growing, but it's at a very early stage and we need to grow tenfold to become efficient. We are at the beginning of this path, but I don't think it will take too long. Putin recently celebrated his birthday. I am sure it will be his last in power."

When asked if he sees a military coup in Russia as a possibility, Ponomarev said it is unlikely to happen due to the Russian military's "considerable cowardice." However, he noted that Putin's administration could see a different kind of coup — particularly one started by Russian elites and civilians.

Ponomarev's remarks come as the war in Ukraine stretches into its ninth month. In recent months, Russia has struggled to keep hold of occupied territories amid Ukraine's fierce counteroffensive. In the past month alone, the Ukrainian military successfully liberated more than 600 settlements across the country, including 75 areas in the Kherson region and 502 settlements in the Kharkiv region.

In Donestk and Luhansk, more than 43 settlements have been liberated, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine's Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories.

Apart from losing land in occupied territories, the Russian military's death toll has also continued to climb. As of Thursday, 66,650 Russian military personnel died in the war, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.