{"id":22461,"date":"2026-01-29T16:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osmstatecnych.cz\/representatives-of-russian-democratic-forces-met-for-the-first-time-today-at-pace\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T05:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T04:09:33","slug":"representatives-of-russian-democratic-forces-met-for-the-first-time-today-at-pace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osmstatecnych.cz\/en\/representatives-of-russian-democratic-forces-met-for-the-first-time-today-at-pace\/","title":{"rendered":"Representatives of Russian democratic forces met for the first time today at PACE"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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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. <\/h3>\n

Its creation has been accompanied by many disputes\u2014primarily 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\u2014although they make up a third of the entire platform\u2014is not clear and is not reflected in the name. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Yekaterina Kuznetsova<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Vasily Matenov<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Lana Pylaeva<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ruslan Kutayev<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pavel Sulyandziga<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Lyubov Sobol<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Garry Kasparov<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Vladimir Kara-Murza<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Dmitry Gudkov<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Natalia Arno<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Andrey Volna<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mark Feygin<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mikhail Khodorkovsky<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nadezhda Tolokonnikova<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Oleg Orlov<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The individuals concerned have a one-year mandate and must meet the following conditions:<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n
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  1. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. they share the values of the Council of Europe and commit to actively promoting these values;<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. they unreservedly recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea<\/a>, the city of Sevastopol, and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions;<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. they recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and other states;<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. they unequivocally condemn all international crimes committed by Russian actors and support international mechanisms for accountability and justice;<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. prior to their involvement in the Platform, they signed the Berlin Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces<\/strong><\/a> (see below) and continue to adhere to the principles contained therein;<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. after 2014, they did not hold any position in the state bodies of the Russian Federation, or\u2014if they did hold such a position\u2014they publicly and convincingly renounced the activities of these bodies and actively contributed to holding them accountable;<\/span><\/li>\n
  11. after 2014, they did not hold any position in the Russian occupation administrations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine;<\/span><\/li>\n
  12. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  13. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  14. 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;<\/span><\/li>\n
  15. 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.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

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

    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<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

    In the document, the signatories committed to five basic principles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n