European Parliament urges EU to support Russian opposition and Ukraine

The European Parliament has passed a resolution holding Putin's regime responsible for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison and urging the EU to support Russia’s democratic opposition and help Ukraine win the war, as this will supposedly give democratic change in Russia a chance.

Source: European Pravda, citing a summary of the resolution provided by the press service of the European Parliament

Details: There were 503 votes in favour of the resolution, 9 against and 32 abstentions.

The resolution called the death in custody of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a murder and stated that MEPs place full responsibility for it on the Russian regime and President Vladimir Putin personally. MEPs have demanded an independent international investigation into the circumstances of the politician's death.

The resolution stated that the political system of the Russian Federation is controlled by "a consolidated authoritarian regime with rampant corruption that uses rigged elections as a semblance of democracy and concentrates all power in the hands of Vladimir Putin".

The resolution draws a distinction between the "warmongering, autocratic and kleptocratic regime" of the Kremlin and the Russian population as a whole and expresses solidarity with Russians who dare to speak out against the Kremlin's policies.

MEPs urged the EU and its member states to support Russia's "independent Russian civil society and the democratic opposition" and to use all possible tools to free Russian political prisoners, including via swaps, if necessary.

At the same time, the resolution called on the EU and its allies to continue their comprehensive support for Ukraine, which is resisting Russian aggression, as a clear victory for Ukraine could lead to significant changes within Russia, including "deimperialisation, decolonialisation and refederalisation, all of which are necessary conditions for establishing democracy in Russia".

"Parliament calls on the Commission and in particular the European External Action Service to develop a proactive, long-term strategic policy towards Russia that effectively responds to the reality of EU-Russia relations today, the human rights situation in Russia and the needs for support of the Russian civil society and opposition representatives in exile," the press release noted.

Background:

• The European Parliament also adopted a separate resolution calling for Ukraine to be provided with all the necessary weapons and supported until it wins the war.

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