Statement in Response to the PACE Decision

In connection with the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to establish a platform for dialogue with the so-called “Russian democratic forces,” the Free Nations League — an alliance of national movements of Indigenous peoples — states the following:

1. Our peoples are not part of the so-called “Russian democratic opposition.” We do not seek to be part of the “Russian people” and do not associate our future with the “Russian state” — neither in its current form nor in any reformed version. Our political and historical objective is liberation from Moscow’s colonial control and the establishment of our own independent national states.
2. Russian oligarchs and former officials currently in exile have neither the moral nor political legitimacy to speak on behalf of all the peoples residing within the Russian Federation. Their attempts to once again assume the right of representation continue the imperial practice in which everything “non-Russian” must submit to the “center.”
3. The Tatars, Bashkirs, Chechens, Sakha, Buryats, and dozens of other Indigenous peoples possess their own political agency. We are not an appendage to the projects of Russian chauvinists — whether in the Kremlin or in exile. Any format of a “unified Russian opposition” that does not acknowledge the right of our peoples to self-determination is a continuation of colonial logic under a new banner.
4. We observe clear signs that an opportunity is being given once again to Russian actors to build a “democratic Russia,” but this experiment may prove fatal for our peoples. Give us a chance. We want to survive — we must survive. Help us. We want to be part of the free and civilized world, not Moscow’s subjects — regardless of who sits on the throne: tsar, emperor, general secretary, or president.
5. The Free Nations League is ready for direct and independent dialogue with PACE without the mediation of the Russian opposition. We insist that the voices of Indigenous peoples be heard directly and reflect the true diversity of the post-Russian space.
6. Ethnic Russians residing in our national republics and regions are part of the future dialogue. We are open to the participation of all those who recognize the right of our peoples to independence, self-determination, and peaceful development.
7. The Free Nations League expects direct consultations with PACE and remains open to cooperation with other international bodies, including the Organization of Turkic States, the OSCE, and the European Parliament. We are ready for constructive discussion on pathways toward decolonization and the formation of new, peaceful, and independent states on the territories currently controlled by Moscow.