Today, a working meeting of the Anti-War Committee with members of the French National Assembly under the aegis of Natalia Pouzyreff, MP and chair of the France-Russia group and representatives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held.

The committee was led by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, with Anastasia Shevchenko, Dmitry Gudkov, Kirill Martynov, and as well as Olga Prokopyeva ( Russie-Libertés, France ) and Anastasia Popova, Consul for the United States ( Consuls ), and attended by French MPs Constance Le Grip, Anne Genetet and François Cormier-Bouligeon. Diplomats from the French Ministry for European and Foreign Affairs and Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders, were also present. They discussed the state of civil society in Russia, support for independent media, assistance to political prisoners, and other important topics. In the presence of diplomats from the Continental Europe Division of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they shared their assessment of the domestic situation in Russia and the need to maintain a link with civil society in order to prepare for the post-Putin era.

Discussions focused on major issues concerning the future of Russia and the defence of human rights. Support for political prisoners was at the heart of the debates, with an urgent call for action for Alexei Gorinov, who is suffering from tuberculosis.

‘We cannot allow another political prisoner to perish in Putin’s jails’, said Anastasia Shevchenko.

The meeting also addressed the worrying issue of the indoctrination of children in Russia. The participants stressed the need to maintain a dialogue with future generations of Russians, in order to offer them a European vision and avoid complete isolation.

Another crucial point was support for Russian journalists, highlighting the vital role of independent media in the fight against Kremlin propaganda and disinformation campaigns abroad.

Discussions also covered the current political and economic situation in Russia, the prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine, and ‘the importance of staying in touch with civil society to prepare for the post-Putin era’, as Natalia Pouzyreff put it.

‘Russians are entitled to freedom, democracy and the rule of law!’

Constance Le Grip