Representatives of Russian democratic forces met for the first time today at PACE

A co-founder of the band Pussy Riot, a chess grandmaster, and a traumatologist who treats Ukrainian soldiers as a volunteer: representatives of Russian democratic forces met today in Strasbourg for the first time at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The platform for dialogue with Russian democratic forces consists of fifteen members, and its delegates are elected for a one-year term.

Its creation has been accompanied by many disputes—primarily regarding the candidate selection process, which is opaque and thus invites all sorts of speculation. Even the position of representatives from Russia’s enslaved regions and republics—although they make up a third of the entire platform—is not clear and is not reflected in the name.

Nevertheless, the creation of this group is the first step in the West’s effort to communicate with that part of Russia that is capable of openly declaring its commitment to democratic values. Russia continues to attack Ukraine, civilians are dying, and attacks on Europe also continue.

It is the responsibility of Russian democratic forces to work diligently to improve this situation. It is our responsibility to be attentive to their work.

The individuals concerned have a one-year mandate and must meet the following conditions:

they are Russian political representatives, civil society representatives, human rights defenders, independent journalists, academics, and/or other members of the Russian resistance against the totalitarian and neo-imperialist regime in the Russian Federation;
they share the values of the Council of Europe and commit to actively promoting these values;
they unreservedly recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions;
they have demonstrably and publicly opposed the totalitarian and neo-imperialist regime in the Russian Federation and seek regime change with the aim of establishing a democratic political system in the Russian Federation based on respect for international law and the principles of peaceful and good neighborly relations;
they recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and other states;
they have not promoted undemocratic policies in the Russian Federation or neo-imperialist policies toward Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, or other sovereign states, or they have publicly, credibly, and unequivocally renounced such previous positions; at the same time, they have not justified international crimes committed by Russian actors nor encouraged violations of international law;
they unequivocally condemn all international crimes committed by Russian actors and support international mechanisms for accountability and justice;
prior to their involvement in the Platform, they signed the Berlin Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces (see below) and continue to adhere to the principles contained therein;
they submit a declaration of honor regarding the absence of a conflict of interest and agree to its verification by the Secretariat of the Assembly;
after 2014, they did not hold any position in the state bodies of the Russian Federation, or—if they did hold such a position—they publicly and convincingly renounced the activities of these bodies and actively contributed to holding them accountable;
after 2014, they did not hold any position in the Russian occupation administrations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine;
they have never disseminated or publicly supported narratives denying the crime of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine or other international crimes committed there;
they unreservedly recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus and support the aspiration of the Belarusian people for a democratic future and European orientation;
they have not received financial or material support from the state or state-controlled entities of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, or from persons or foundations associated with them, and they commit to submitting an annual declaration of funding sources;
they publicly support the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, as well as an international mechanism for compensation for damages, including the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and an international commission for the adjudication of Ukraine’s claims.

Delegates will be prohibited from using Russian state symbols; they will be permitted to use the white-blue-white flag, which has become a symbol of resistance against the Russian regime.

Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces:

(also known as the Berlin Declaration) was adopted on April 30, 2023, in Berlin as an attempt to unite the fragmented Russian anti-Putin opposition in exile.

The document was initiated by Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other opposition figures (e.g., Garry Kasparov or Dmitry Gudkov) associated with the Russian Anti-War Committee.

In the document, the signatories committed to five basic principles:

The war against Ukraine is criminal: Russian troops must be withdrawn from all occupied territories, Russia’s 1991 internationally recognized borders must be restored, and war criminals must be punished.
Putin’s regime is illegitimate and criminal: The regime must be dismantled.
Rejection of imperialism: The pursuit of imperial policies within Russia and abroad is unacceptable.
Liberation of political prisoners: All political prisoners and prisoners of war must be released, and deported persons (including Ukrainian children) must return home.
Solidarity with opponents of the regime: The signatories expressed support for all Russians who, despite repression, demonstrate anti-war stances.

WHO WAS ELECTED?

Artist, director of the Ingrian House in Narva, Estonia, activist for the rights of regions and republics enslaved by Russia, member of the Free Ingria movement.

Tuvan activist, founder of the Asians of Russia organization.

Director of the Komi Daily website, activist of the Komi people. The website fights for the preservation of the culture and language of the Komi people and is on the list of terrorist organizations in Russia.

Political scientist, public figure, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria; activist, President of the Assembly of the Peoples of the Caucasus.

Defender of the rights of indigenous peoples, former member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, who has been defending the civil rights of vulnerable communities for many years. Activist for the rights of the Udege people.

Russian politician and activist. She collaborated with opposition leader Alexei Navalny and was a lawyer for the Anti-Corruption Foundation he founded. In August 2021, she left Russia despite a court-ordered ban.

Russian chess grandmaster, long-time opponent and critic of Vladimir Putin, co-founded the Free Russia Forum, an anti-war initiative aimed at helping Ukraine and anti-Putin Russians. He supports Ukraine's victory as the only possible solution to Russian aggression and supports Russian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine.

Historian, opposition politician, political prisoner. Former associate of the murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. The Russian regime attempted to poison him. When the war in Ukraine broke out, he returned to Russia from exile, where he was imprisoned for high treason. Pulitzer Prize winner for texts from prison published in The Washington Post. Vice President of the Free Russia Foundation. He holds Russian and British citizenship.

Russian politician and opposition leader, former Member of Parliament.

President of the Free Russia Foundation, human rights activist.

Well-known Russian traumatologist and orthopedist who left Russia for Estonia with his family in the fall of 2022 and regularly travels to Kyiv, where he operates on Ukrainian soldiers as a volunteer. He supports Russian volunteers in the ranks of the Ukrainian army. He is active in the Free Russia Forum and contributes to The Insider and Current Time.

Russian human rights activist, lawyer, and politician; he defended members of the band Pussy Riot and the Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who was captured by separatists in Donbas in 2014. Former Member of Parliament and local representative. He was delegated to the platform by the Free Russia Forum.

Businessman and political activist, co-founder of the Russian Anti-War Committee and other platforms of Russian opposition forces.

Co-founder of the band Pussy Riot, founder of the MediaZona project, which focuses on law enforcement and the judicial and penal system in Russia, activist and former political prisoner; on the platform, she intends to focus on supporting Ukraine and protecting the rights of Russian political refugees and political prisoners.

Russian biologist, human rights activist, co-founder and chairman of the board of the Memorial Human Rights Center. In 2009, he was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought along with other representatives of the Memorial movement. In February 2024, he was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for repeated "discrediting of the army"; he was released on August 1, 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange.

RUSSIANS WHO ARE NOT SILENT | PATRON

Together we make the Russian resistance visible.

Let us push the Russian resistance into the public debate. Let us defy the Russian regime as well as our own prejudices. When we talk and write about them—and when there are many of us—propaganda will have a harder time. And that is already something. Every bit counts.