In the clearest sign that opposition to the war is spreading among Russian officials and the Kremlin plans to purge anyone who objects to what Vladimir Putin is doing there, Vladislav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, says that any Russian official who supports the Ukrainian government must leave his post.

In his official Telegram channel, the Duma speaker denounces those who support Ukraine and oppose Russia’s efforts to prevent a NATO attack on Russia must be called “collaborationists,” people who must not have any place in Russia, let alone in government agencies.

In reporting his words, the Russian nationalist Stoletiye Portal says that such people will leave their jobs voluntarily: they have too much power and make too much money for that. But then they must be forced out and brought to justice. The portal says that failing to do so would be “a betrayal of our heroes.”

Given that Volodin is closely tied to the Kremlin and that his words on other subjects often have a leading indicator of where the Putin regime is headed, it seems likely that the Russian government is planning a purge or at the very least threatening one in the hopes of putting a lid on criticism among its ranks.