Newsletters / Mikhail Khodorkovsky: “Resolution of the Brussels Conference of the Anti-War Committee of Russia”
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
“We have a future. They do not. We do not know when the ‘after’ will come — in a year or ten years. But we must work today to ensure that this future does not become a repeat of the past. Our chance lies in our readiness.”
With these thoughts in mind, I openned the conference of the Anti-War Committee in Brussels. In The Russian Antiwar Committee, we are uniting Russians opposed to war. We coordinate efforts, support anti-war Russians, and create a space for solidarity, action, and mutual assistance for people opposing the war initiated by the Kremlin.
And after two days of discussion, we agreed on this text of the Resolution:
Ending the War and Creating Conditions for Peaceful Development
Ending the war and establishing conditions for the peaceful development of Russian society remain the primary objectives of the Anti-War Committee of Russia. The Russian state must never again initiate acts of military aggression. Our country’s relations with the international community should be based exclusively on the principles of international law.
Support for Anti-War Russians
The Anti-War Committee of Russia calls for continued support of activists and refugees facing political persecution under the Russian dictatorship. We believe that Russians who do not wish to contribute their talents, skills, or resources to the Putin regime must have the opportunity to live and work in democratic countries. The deportation of individuals to Russia, where they face real danger, is absolutely unacceptable. We express our gratitude to the countries that assist our anti-war compatriots. We invite further dialogue on all complex issues related to such assistance — both at the level of national governments and within international organizations, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the “Brussels Dialogue” platform.
Position on the So-Called “Elections to the State Duma”
The Anti-War Committee does not recognize the usurpers who have seized power in Russia as the legitimate rulers of our country. We reject the results of the pseudo-elections conducted in their own interests. Nevertheless, we consider it necessary to use the procedure known as the “elections to the State Duma” as a platform for anti-war advocacy. During the so-called 2026 elections, the dictatorship will attempt to impose upon Russian society a “new elite” composed of participants in its aggressive war. We believe that those who were drawn into this war involuntarily require rehabilitation and medical treatment. Military personnel who have committed crimes must face justice. In any case, participation in a criminal war must not be rewarded with leadership positions or parliamentary mandates at any level. The dictator’s “new elite” must have no right to be elected to parliament, represent the Russian population in government institutions, or take part in decision-making processes.
Support for Ukraine
The Anti-War Committee of Russia considers political and humanitarian support for Ukraine to be one of its core responsibilities. We provide assistance to Ukrainian prisoners of war, political detainees, and other Ukrainian citizens who have become victims of the aggressive war. We urge our fellow Russians — regardless of their political views — to act with humanity toward all Ukrainians who are forcibly held on the territory of Russia. Wars come to an end, but people remain. We, our children, and our grandchildren will have to live side by side with them and their descendants.
Support for Russian Political Prisoners
The Anti-War Committee of Russia expresses its deep solidarity with Russian political prisoners — those unjustly deprived of freedom for their beliefs, their anti-war stance, and their defense of human rights. We consistently demand their immediate release. We call on the governments of the European Union and international human rights institutions to intensify efforts to secure the release and exchange of Russian political prisoners, particularly those who are seriously ill or held in life-threatening conditions. The liberation of these individuals must form part of a broader humanitarian agenda aimed at ending repression and upholding human dignity.
The Political Future of Russia
We believe that the existence of a single, popularly elected head of state vested with powers exceeding ceremonial functions is incompatible with Russia’s future. Russia is a vast country characterized by profound ethnic and cultural diversity. Political decisions must be made through consensus, taking into account a wide range of differing and sometimes conflicting interests.
Also, on November 1, 2025, thousands of Russian citizens who fled dictatorship and the criminal war, and who are lawfully residing within the territory of the European Union, faced the unexpected closure of their bank accounts.
The Anti-War Committee of Russia has sent to the European Commission an Appeal, asking European authorities to issue appropriate clarifications to prevent further misapplication of sanctions, and that restrictions must not affect individuals who have been granted humanitarian visas or are awaiting their issuance.
We are convinced that our compatriots who have spoken out against the war and found refuge in Europe have the right to live a normal and dignified life.
In the Media
Politico: Putin’s archrival warns Europe: Brace for Cold War II whatever happens in Ukraine (EN)
Top Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky tells POLITICO why Russia will take decades to get over the “imperialist-military narrative” that Moscow pushes. He warned Europe to get ready for a long-term confrontation with Russia regardless of how Moscow’s war on Ukraine unfolds.
The i Paper: Mikhail Khodorkovsky “I’m a Russian dissident living in London. Putin knows the end is coming soon” (EN)
I’m a Russian dissident living in London. Putin knows the end is coming soon
We now know the key weakness — the Achilles’ heel — of the Putin regime
Vladimir Putin has one trait well known to Russians: he ruthlessly crushes political opponents, yet always invents “non-political” pretexts for doing so.
For rulers like him, academics Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman coined the term “spin dictators” — people who conceal the authoritarian and unlawful nature of their power.
The Washington Post: Tips for Trump on Russia (from Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once jailed by Putin) (EN)
Russian opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky says the U.S. and Europe need to talk more about Tomahawks and less about sanctions when dealing with Putin.
If President Donald Trump wants to make progress in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he needs to put Tomahawk missiles back on the table for Ukraine instead of just fiddling with sanctions, according to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a major Russian opposition figure with deep knowledge of the Kremlin.
The Times: Russia’s succession fear: ‘All our dictators quit by 80. Putin is 73’ (EN)
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who lives in exile and is accused of plotting a coup, says paranoia is growing in Moscow about the transfer of power
Having spent ten years in a Siberian jail on charges widely seen as politically motivated, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the businessman-turned-opposition leader is no stranger to Vladimir Putin using Russia’s malleable courts to silence him.
Now living in Britain, he was nevertheless surprised to find himself this week on a list of those accused of plotting a coup.
Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme: Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Putin has sent signal to Trump that he’s ready for Ukraine deal (EN)
Exiled Russian opposition activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky thinks a deal could be struck between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump over Ukraine, but it might involve ceding the Donbas region to Russia.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky has claimed that Vladimir Putin is signalling that he is prepared to strike a deal on Ukraine with Donald Trump.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Khodorkovsky thinks any agreement could involve ceding land to Russia.
“I have the impression that Putin has sent Trump a signal that he is ready for a deal.
“Putin wants to get the whole of Donbas, those parts of it he hasn’t occupied yet,” he said, but warned that the Russian president may aim to secure territorial gains in eastern Ukraine to “destabilise the situation” in the rest of the country.
The Baltic Sentinel/Rus.Postimees: Mikhail Khodorkovsky: “Estonia played a crucial role in giving anti-war Russians a voice at the Council of Europe” (EN/EST)
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), from which Russia was removed after the start of the war in Ukraine, has brought the Russians back. No one voted against the decision to give the floor to representatives of democratic forces. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a candidate for membership in this platform and a former Russian businessman, shared his assessment of the EU’s current efforts to stop Putin.
Berliner Zeitung: Michail Chodorkowski: „Russland hat alle Chancen, eine echte Demokratie zu werden“ (DE)
Der Putin-Gegner Michail Chodorkowski ist überzeugt, dass Russland eine parlamentarische Republik mit echtem Föderalismus werden kann.
Russland hat dieser Tage eine finale Niederlage vor Gericht erlitten. Im langjährigen Gerichtsverfahren um die Entschädigung von Aktionären des zerschlagenen russischen Ölkonzerns Yukos hat das höchste niederländische Gericht auch den letzten Einspruch zurückgewiesen. Russland muss demnach den ehemaligen Aktionären eine Entschädigung von mehr als 50 Milliarden US-Dollar (42,8 Mrd. Euro) zahlen. Dem früheren Chef von Yukos, Michail Chodorkowski, hilft das unterdessen wenig. Der russische Inlandsgeheimdienst FSB hat ein Ermittlungsverfahren wegen Terrorverdachts gegen ihn und andere bekannte Kremlkritiker im Exil eröffnet.
EL MUNDO: Mikhail Khodorkovsky: “Vladimir Putin could end the war this year if Trump shows him there won’t be a better deal.” (Spanish)
Khodorkovsky sums up the Kremlin’s current project: to scare Europe and keep Ukraine under control.
A tycoon and philanthropist, liberal and ambitious, former owner of the Yukos oil company, Mikhail Khodorkovsky (Moscow, 1963) spent ten years in Russian prisons after his arrest in 2003, an emblematic case of the standoff between the Kremlin and the wayward oligarchs. From exile, the dissident draws a stark map of the war and Putin’s power in this conversation: Trump failed as a “good cop” against a “mobster” who interprets kindness as weakness; the succession in the Kremlin will bring a weaker leader, and at that point Europe should “work” with Russia.
Le Monde: Mikhail Khodorkovsky declared “terrorist” by Kremlin (FR)
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted to create a “platform of dialogue” with the “Russian democratic forces in exile”. His first interlocutor: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an influential but non-consensual figure of the opposition to Vladimir Putin.
Imprisoned for ten years in Siberia, in exile in London for a decade, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, 62, has just found himself on the list of “terrorists” wanted by the Kremlin. “I prefer to laugh about it,” the former oligarch, who has become one of the main figures of Russian dissent abroad, said. Convicted after a politically responsible trial, the former head of the oil group Yukos, who was released on December 20, 2013, is now travelling across Europe in the hope of uniting opposition against Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine.
“From the beginning, we have united on this consensus: to oppose, but without resorting to force. A whole paradox today. We are criminally prosecuted by Russia for radical methods that we have always rejected! “protests M. Khodorkovsky, met on Monday, November 3, in Brussels, on the sidelines of the conference he organized with his Russian Anti-War Committee, created on February 27, 2022, three days after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.