A member of the Duma of Vladivostok from the Communist Party, Viktor Kamenshchikov, was apprehended at the Mexican border while trying to relocate to the United States, according to IA PrimaMedia citing a law enforcement source.
The communist attempted to enter America using a route commonly used by the opposition, but was stopped by local authorities.
According to the source, he is supposed to be placed in a migrant detention center until the situation is clarified. The reason for the arrest is unknown. However, the route to the United States through neighboring Mexico has become a sort of loophole for the coastal opposition. By participating in public protests, they build a case for themselves in order to claim political persecution and seek political asylum.
However, Kamenshchikov's situation is somewhat different. He is considered a protégé of the disgraced communist deputy of the AP PC Artem Samsonov. He entered the Duma of Vladivostok in 2019, replacing a party member, Alexandra Glebova, who resigned for personal reasons. He became the youngest member of the Duma at 29 years old when he received the mandate.Before becoming a deputy, Kamenshchikov was not well-known to the public. This remained the case even after he received the mandate. The only significant event in the politician’s history was his statement at the end of February expressing his willingness to leave the Communist Party of the Russian Federation due to his lack of support for the special military operation in Ukraine.
According to the source, the communist has a child in the United States who gained citizenship by being born there.
At the same time, the Primorsky branch of the Russian Communist Party, as well as the Central Committee of the party, show support for the special operation in Ukraine. It is evident that a new political cycle for the party began with a significant purge of ranks, carried out through forceful methods and the self-elimination of the most radical figures who oppose the party's general direction. These figures were previously the source of protest votes for the communists in the elections.
Since last September, many active political players and party allies have left. Yury Kuchin, former deputy of the Duma of Vladivostok and former assistant to deputy ZSPK Artem Samsonov, left Russia. Samsonov himself is in pre-trial detention awaiting trial in a criminal case. A criminal case has been opened against the assistant to his comrade-in-arms in the fight against infill development, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the PC Natalya Kochugova. The deputies of the Duma of Ussuriysk Alexander and Yana Shestuny were expelled from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The former deputy of the ZSPK and ex-communist Andrei Ishchenko was also arrested on suspicion of fraud during the construction of a residential building.
Since last September, the bench of the most active political players and party allies has thinned considerably. Yury Kuchin, ex-deputy of the Duma of Vladivostok and former assistant to deputy ZSPK Artem Samsonov, left Russia. Samsonov himself is waiting in the pre-trial detention center for a trial in a criminal case initiated under Article 132, part 4, paragraph “b” (other acts of a sexual nature using the helpless state of the victim, committed against a person under the age of fourteen). A criminal case has been opened against the assistant to his comrade-in-arms in the fight against infill development, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the PC Natalya Kochugova. The deputies of the Duma of Ussuriysk Alexander and Yana Shestuny were expelled from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Also arrested on suspicion of fraud during the construction of a residential building was the failed “red governor”, a former deputy of the ZSPK and ex-communist Andrei Ishchenko.
