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Draft:Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces

Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces
Платформа российских демократических сил
FormationOctober 1, 2025; 8 months ago (2025-10-01)
Members15
AffiliationsParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

The Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces is a platform set up by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the purpose of engaging with exiled Russian opposition figures[1][2][3]. It was formally created in October 2025 with the passing of Resolution 2621 by the Parliamentary Assembly.[4] The platform includes representatives from opposition groups such as the Anti-War Committee of Russia, Free Russia Foundation and the Free Russia Forum along with numerous ethnic minority rights activists.[5][6] All participants of the Platform are signatories of the Berlin Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces.[7]

History

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After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent expulsion of Russia from the Council of Europe[8] , the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to intensify its engagement with Russian and Belarusian opposition groups. As a result the Parliamentary Assembly passed several resolutions, including Resolution 2433 and 2540 which called for formal engagement with anti-regime activists in Russia.[9][10] Resolution 2540 called for the creation of the function of the General Rapporteur on Russian democratic forces. This position was created in April 2024 with the inaugural being Estonian representative Eerik-Niiles Kross.[11] The General Rapporteur is tasked with engaging and communicating with opposition groups and presenting his findings to the Parliamentary Assembly.[12] In September 2025, Kross submitted his report on Russian Democratic Forces which presented a draft resolution for the creation of the Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces.[13] The Parliamentary Assembly passed Resolution 2621 on October 1st 2025, officially creating the Platform.[4]

On December 16th 2025 following a meeting between the PACE President Theodoros Roussopoulos, General Rapporteur Kross and representatives of Assembly's political groups, the Parliamentary Assembly formally decided to open submissions for representatives to the Platform.[14] Several opposition groups, such as the Anti-War Committee of Russia and Congress of People's Deputies publicly submitted lists of nominees.[15][16] On January 26th 2026 the Parliamentary Assembly published a full list of opposition figures invited to participate, including Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other opposition activists.[5] The Platform held its inaugural meeting on the 29th of January 2026 in Strasbourg.[17][18]

Goals

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Resolution 2621 sets out goals for the existence of Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces, which includes:[4]

  • Need for structured engagement with Russian opposition groups
  • Strengthening the capacity of Russian democratic forces to bring about sustainable democratic change in Russia
  • Help achieve a lasting and just peace in Ukraine
  • Ensure the responsibility of Russian actors for the international crimes
  • Work towards regime change with the goal of establishing a democratic political system in the Russian Federation
  • Provide a voice for indigenous and minority rights activists

Requirements

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Article 8 of Resolution 2621 sets out strict criteria for figures which wish to participate in the Platform:[4]

  • be Russian political leaders, civil society representatives, human rights defenders, independent journalists, scholars and/or other members of the Russian resistance against the totalitarian and neo-imperialistic regime in the Russian Federation;
  • share the values of the Council of Europe and be willing to promote them;
  • unconditionally recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine (including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol City, and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions) as well as other states within their internationally recognised borders.;
  • public record of opposing the totalitarian and neo-imperialistic regime in the Russian Federation and working towards regime change with the goal of establishing a democratic political system in the Russian Federation that adheres to international law and principles of peaceful and good-neighbourly relations;
  • have not advocated non-democratic policies in the Russian Federation or neo-imperialistic policies towards Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine or other sovereign States;
  • clearly denounce all international crimes committed by Russian actors and support international mechanisms for accountability and justice;
  • have signed the Berlin Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces before agreeing to participate in the Platform, and continue to uphold the principles it sets forth;
  • have not held, after 2014, any position in the State bodies of the Russian Federation or any position in Russian occupation administrations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, if they have, have publicly and convincingly renounced these bodies’ activities and contributed to their accountability;
  • have never disseminated or publicly rejected narratives that deny the Russian Federation’s crime of aggression against Ukraine or other international crimes committed there;
  • recognise and respect unconditionally the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the Belarusian nation’s aspiration for a democratic future and European choice;
  • have not received funding or material support from State or State-controlled entities of the Russian Federation or Belarus, or related persons or foundations, and shall submit annual declarations of sources of funding;
  • publicly support the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, as well as an international compensation mechanism, including the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and an international claims commission for Ukraine.

Symbol

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According to Article 9 of Resolution 2621 participants of the Platform shall not use, display or reproduce State symbols of the Russian Federation, including its flag, coat of arms, anthem or other official insignia, at the Assembly’s premises or events. The white-blue-white colours are recognised by the Russian democratic forces as a symbol of resistance.[4]

Participants

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Former World Chess Champion and activist Garry Kasparov
Activist and former political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza

On January 26th 2026 the Parliamentary Assembly announced the full list of participants, which includes:[5][6]

Representatives of indigenous peoples and national minorities:

Criticism

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Several Russian opposition figures and commentators have expressed their skepticism towards the Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces[19][20][3]. Representatives of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, including Maria Pevchikh and Leonid Volkov have described the platform as lacking legitimacy, arguing that the Platform has no domestic support or mandate inside of Russia[21][22]. Another frequent criticism is that being a signatory of the Berlin Declaration created by the Anti-War Committee of Russia is a requirement for participation in the Platform, characterizing it as a power grab. The Ukrainian delegation in PACE had previously lobbied for the inclusion of representatives from Russian volunteer groups fighting on the side of Ukraine such as the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion in the Platform, none of which got representation in the end.[20][23]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ According to Article 9 of Resolution 2621

References

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  1. ↑ "PACE creates a 'platform for dialogue' with exiled Russian democratic forces". 2026-10-02. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  2. ↑ "Council of Europe votes to create 'platform for dialogue' with exiled Russian opposition". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  3. 1 2 "Meduza breaks down the debate over Europe's new platform for dialogue with Russian anti-war, pro-democracy forces". Meduza. 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Resolution 2621: Russian democratic forces". 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  5. 1 2 3 "Participants in the PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces are named". 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  6. 1 2 "Council of Europe names Russian opposition politicians for its Platform for Dialogue". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  7. ↑ "Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces". 2025-04-30.
  8. ↑ "The Russian Federation is excluded from the Council of Europe". 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  9. ↑ "Resolution 2433: Consequences of the Russian Federation's continued aggression against Ukraine: role and response of the Council of Europe". 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  10. ↑ "Resolution 2540: Alexei Navalny's death and the need to counter Vladimir Putin's totalitarian regime and its war on democracy". 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  11. ↑ "Mr Eerik-Niiles KROSS". Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  12. ↑ "General Rapporteur on Russian democratic forces: Terms of reference". Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  13. ↑ "Document 16247: Russian democratic forces". 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  14. ↑ "Submission of candidatures for the PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces". 2026-12-16. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  15. ↑ "The Russian Anti-War Committee publishes a list of candidates for the PACE Platform". 2025-12-17. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  16. ↑ Жих, Виктор (2025-10-07). "Обращение Совета Съезда народных депутатов к российским демократическим силам, национально-освободительным движениям РФ, членам Бюро Парламентской Ассамблеи Совета Европы". Съезд Народных Депутатов. Archived from the original on 2025-11-12.
  17. ↑ "PACE platform for dialogue with Russian democratic forces holds its first meeting in Strasbourg". 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  18. ↑ "Russia's Opposition Has Representation in PACE. Can They Achieve Anything?". The Moscow Times. 2026-02-03. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  19. ↑ "Why is Russia's PACE Platform, which is supposed to represent the Russia of the future, populated by its past?". Russian Election Monitor. 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  20. 1 2 Igor Gretskiy (2026-01-29). "Why is Russia's PACE Platform, which is supposed to represent the Russia of the future, populated by its past?". Russian Election Monitor. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  21. ↑ @pevchikh (October 2, 2025). "Последние сутки много пишут о формировании в Парламентской ассамблее Совета Европы (ПАСЕ)…" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  22. ↑ @leonidvolkov (October 3, 2025). "По очередному кругу зашло обсуждение делегации российских демократических сил в ПАСЕ" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  23. ↑ @legion_svoboda (January 26, 2026). "We took the decision on the composition of the Platform of Russian Democratic Forces at @PACE_News calmly and without illusions" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
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