PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces[1] (Russian:Платформа диалога ПАСЕ с российскими демократическими силами) is a consultative body of theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe established in January 2026 for communicating with representatives of the so-calledRussian opposition after Russia's expulsion from theCouncil of Europe in 2022, following theinvasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3]
The participants are approved by the Bureau of the Assembly upon the proposal made by the President of the Assembly, currentlyPetra Bayr.[4]
Following theRussian Federation’s expulsion from the Council of Europe in 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly sought to maintain dialogue with non-state actors supportingdemocratic values,human rights, and therule of law.[5][6]
In September 2025, the PACE Political Committee of PACE put forward an initiative to establish a platform for engagement with representatives of Russian democratic forces operating from abroad.[2] On 2 October 2025, PACE approved a resolution to form such a structure, based on a report byEerik-Niiles Kross.[7][3] The resolution defined the platform's mandate as supporting Russian democratic forces in their efforts to achieve political change in Russia and to establish peace in Ukraine.[8][7]
Russian organizations involved in developing the platform's concept included theAnti-Corruption Foundation, theFree Russia Foundation, theAnti-War Committee of Russia, and theFree Russia Forum.[8] The platform's formation took place against a backdrop of public disagreements among various opposition groups.[2] Subsequently, the Anti-Corruption Foundation announced its withdrawal from participating in the platform's work, stating that the participant selection procedure failed to meet democratic principles due to a lack of transparency in the process.[8][2]
On 26 January 2026, the PACE Bureau approved the platform's final composition.[3]
The Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces does not hold the status of an official delegation and does not possess the powers that the Russian delegation had before 2022. Platform participants do not have the right to vote on PACE resolutions.[2]
In accordance with the PACE resolution, members of the platform may attend meetings of the Assembly's committees and sub-committees, participate in session events, and be granted the floor to speak upon approval by thePACE President.[3]
The platform is presided over by the president of PACE. Its composition is subject to annual renewal. The selection of candidates was carried out by the PACE secretariat.[3]
Platform members are not permitted to use thenational flag or other official emblems of the Russian Federation on PACE premises.[3] Their participation in the Assembly's work is not remunerated.[2]
When forming the platform's composition, PACE was guided by a set of requirements established in its resolution. It was declared that candidates must be of high moral standing and reside outside Russia.[3]
Activists and public figures engaged in countering thePutin regime were eligible to become platform participants.[3] They were required to recognize the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity ofUkraine within its internationally recognized borders, as well as the sovereignty ofMoldova,Georgia, and other states.[3] Candidates' backgrounds were to be free of any episodes involving support for Russia's undemocratic orimperialistic foreign policy towards sovereign states, or justification ofinternational crimes.[3]
One of the selection criteria was having signed the Declaration of Russian Democratic Forces (also known as the "Berlin Declaration"), adopted by Russian opposition figures on 30 April 2023 inBerlin,Germany. The declaration places responsibility for thewar in Ukraine on Russia and recognizesCrimea as Ukrainian territory.[3] The declaration was prepared on the initiative ofMikhail Khodorkovsky and other opposition figures.[2]
The resolution stipulated that one third of the platform's seats be allocated for representatives of Russia'sindigenous peoples and national minorities. According to the PACE, this quota corresponds to the proportion of indigenous peoples within Russia's total population.[3]
In media interviews, platform members outlined the following priority areas for their work:[8]
Representatives of the indigenous peoples of Russia expressed the intention to use the platform to discuss the situation of national minorities in Russia. Lana Pylayeva characterized the introduction of a quota for indigenous representatives as a significant step in overcoming the overly Moscow-centric nature of Russian politics.[2]
In October 2025, shortly after the resolution establishing the platform was passed, Russia'sFederal Security Service designated theAnti-War Committee of Russia as a terrorist organization and initiated criminal cases against all 19 of its members.[2] The charges include forming a terrorist community and attempting to seize power. Those accused includeMikhail Khodorkovsky,Garry Kasparov,Vladimir Kara-Murza,Ekaterina Schulmann,Evgeny Chichvarkin,Sergei Guriev and others. According to the investigation, committee members allegedly lobbied for the creation of the PACE platform, which Russian authorities view as an attempt to form analternative governing body and a transitionalconstituent assembly.[12][2]
Ukrainian representatives in PACE did not block the decision to establish the platform, yet expressed doubts that the proposed candidates represented a genuine opposition. The Ukrainian delegation believed that Europe should engage only with those Russians who are serving in theArmed Forces of Ukraine.[2] Candidates from Russian irregular units based in Ukraine also submitted applications, however, PACE officials did not include any of them in the platform's final composition.[2]
The former president of PACE,Theodoros Rousopoulos, stated that the platform would provide an opportunity for representatives of Russia's democratic forces and Russians to openly express their position.[2]
Frank Schwabe, a member of theBundestag from theSocial Democratic Party and a PACE-side participant in the platform, supported the creation of the structure, calling it the right step to provide Russia's democratic opposition with a public platform.[13] Schwabe noted that the platform could become a first step toward the opposition's participation in the work of PACE committees and remarked on the naturalness of the disagreements that arose during its establishment.[13]
Igor Gretskiy, a former international relations professor atSaint Petersburg State University and a researcher at Estonia's International Centre for Defence and Security, points to the problem of legitimacy regarding platform participants, who were not elected through a vote by Russian citizens.[14][2]
Ekaterina Schulmann, a former political science professor atRussian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration and a non-resident scholar at theCarnegie Russia Eurasia Center, assessed the platform's formation positively, calling its composition balanced.[15] She noted that most participants have experience in political activity and international recognition. At the same time, Schulmann pointed out the platform's lack of significant authority and its inability to influence regime change in Russia from abroad. Nevertheless, she remarks that the platform could become an important venue for expressing the position of anti-war Russians outside the country. Schulmann drew attention to the fact that the Russian authorities are taking the platform's creation very seriously, having launched a media campaign and initiated criminal cases against a number of its participants.
The platform’s participants issued their first joint statement in February 2026, characterizing Russia as a systemic threat to the European legal order and expressing support for Ukraine, "including military support" to uphold the territorial integrity of the1991 Borders.[16][17]
