Russian lawmaker stripped of immunity over elk’s killing

MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russian parliament has stripped a lawmaker who is critical of the Kremlin of his immunity, allowing prosecutors to press charges against him over the allegedly illegal killing of an elk during a hunting trip. Valery Rashkin first denied the accusations but later reversed course and confessed to killing the elk. Rashkin said he was unaware that he was breaking the law and described the case against him as politically driven. Some Russian media alleged that Rashkin, a Communist Party member, faced the charges due to his criticism of the Kremlin and his support for jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the top foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin.