"This is a deputy of the Samara Provincial Duma, in which there is a first secretary, the head of the regional branch, who first of all must give a legal and moral and ethical assessment to a person who is a representative of his organization... The first secretary should first of all give this assessment and the central audit commission along the party line", - Yushchenko said (quoted by RIA Novosti).
The interlocutor of the agency also expressed his personal opinion about the act of the Samara communist. He noted that young people often neglect moral and ethical norms in pursuit of imaginary popularity, and also recommended Abdalkin to "return to real life."
State Duma deputy Mikhail Matveev (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) told the publication that he had not seen the mentioned photos and videos. He described Abdalkin as a "young deputy" who is known for "various protest actions" in his city.
"I don't think it can coincide with the position of the party, because we take the president's message seriously enough," the parliamentarian assured.
He added that the incident needs to be dealt with, and in case of violation or disagreement with the position of the central committee, according to him, a reaction may follow.
The head of the Duma Committee on information policy, Alexander Khinstein, called the published photo of the Samara communist "a strange, to say the least, trick." In his opinion, such an act is more like the action of a deputy of Ukraine, and not of the Russian Federation.
"I hope the leadership of the Communist Party will be able to rein in its fellow party member: if, of course, statements about the support of the President and the need for consolidation are not just words," Khinstein said on his Telegram channel.