Imperialist politicians join PACE platform for dialogue with Russians, says Chechen movement leader
This was stated by Djamboulat Souleimanov, Head of the Chechen movement United Force, the authorized representative of the seven Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation, in a comment to a Ukrinform correspondent in Strasbourg.
“We were fundamentally opposed to participating in a platform that provides a forum for this opposition. But our Ukrainian friends asked us to present an alternative opinion and express our stance. So we submitted an application, but, of course, we were not included in the list,” Souleimanov said.
According to him, the final list of participants was agreed upon by PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos.
"The list includes only Russians who hold purely imperial positions—and we know this very well—Kara-Murza, Khodorkovsky, and others. They do not accept an alternative vision of Russia's future. Enslaved peoples are also represented there, but only formally. They were allocated five seats, but these are all loyal people. There was one representative from Buryatia who defends its independence, but she was also removed," Souleimanov said.
The leader of the Chechen movement announced that he would focus on implementing another platform outlined in the October resolution, which provides for a separate platform for nations colonized by the Russian Federation.
“We have already spoken with Eerik-Niiles Kross [the main rapporteur on this topic in the PACE]. And we are following our plan to achieve a separate presence and work on the issue of the rights of enslaved peoples to self-determination separately from the so-called Russian opposition,” Souleimanov added.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe unanimously approved the composition of the PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces, created in October 2025.
In October 2025, PACE adopted a resolution creating two separate platforms, one for cooperation with Russian democratic forces and the other for cooperation with peoples colonized by the Russian Federation.
