The Russian Platform within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a consultative platform now exists for members of the Russian community who hold an anti-war stance. This body was established after the official Russian delegation was expelled from PACE in March 2022. Participants, including trauma surgeon Andrey Volna, must sign the Berlin Declaration, which includes a clause supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its 1991 borders. It is important to note that members of this Platform do not have voting rights during Assembly sessions.
Platform Activities and Scope
Andrey Volna, who has spent over two years operating on wounded defenders in Kyiv, clarifies that the Platform does not claim to represent all Russians who have moved to the West. 'Each of us was invited individually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,' he states. The Platform's work is based on volunteer efforts and receives no external funding, with its inaugural meeting held in Strasbourg on January 29.
Volna emphasizes the Platform's advisory nature, noting,
This is a consultative body. And the only weapon here is the word.He connects the expulsion of the Russian delegation following the full-scale invasion to PACE's core mission of human rights protection. 'PACE is an institution created to protect human rights. For me, in this case, protecting human rights means protecting the rights of Ukrainians who are subjected to genocide,' Volna adds.
The absence of an invitation for representatives from the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) indicates certain limitations on which groups can participate in the Platform's activities. To bolster their anti-war stance, Platform members are actively engaging with several European nations, including:
- Hungary
- Slovakia
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
This outreach is a key part of their strategy.
The creation of this Platform can be seen as a step toward building new international support for anti-war sentiments among Russian citizens, despite the official delegation's exclusion. Its significance lies in providing a space for viewpoints that diverge from the Kremlin's official line and in maintaining a dialogue on human rights amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This initiative reflects broader efforts to find diplomatic channels for dissent and to keep pressure on the issue of human rights violations.