United Russia Lawmaker Resigns After Stating He Wanted to Cut Benefits for Holocaust Survivors

Andrei Yershov, a Russian lawmaker and member of President Putin's ruling United Russia party, has stepped down after making controversial comments regarding his outrage at continuing free public transportation in Russia for Holocaust survivors. In a heated October 16th council debate, he asked "why is it that we owe anything [to the prisoners]? continuing, "Why? For the simple reason that they were not finished off?"

A recording of the meeting was posted on the website of a Russian newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda daily, following the meeting. It quickly became viral and led to numerous calls for Yershov to resign.

The governor of the Smolensk region stated that "the fact that Yershov should not remain a representative of the people was not even subject to debate," AFP reported.