Facebook/Louis Marinelli
Louis Marinelli, the leader of a campaign to liberate “occupied California” and turn the state into a sovereign nation, has announced that he’s throwing in the towel and moving to Russia permanently. In a statement released Monday afternoon, Marinelli said life in Russia offers him “a new happiness, a life without the albatross of frustration and resentment toward one’s homeland.” “Consequently, if the people of Russia would be so kind as to welcome me here on a permanent basis, I intend to make Russia my new home.” Marinelli, who previously studied in Russia and has reportedly been living there for years, went on to announce that he will be withdrawing his petition to make California an independent nation, which he said had nearly 100,000 supporters. The California secretary of state’s office confirmed on Monday that Marcus Ruiz Evans, the vice president of the Yes California Independence Campaign, had notified officials the petition would be withdrawn. More than 585,000 signatures would be required by July to actually put the initiative to a vote, though a new group called the California Freedom Coalition has said it will start a new petition.