Federation’s borders to include all territories once under Russian domination, including Ukraine. The hierarchy of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, including Patriarch Kirill, has been championing the Russkiy Mir ideology, declaring the war against Ukraine and the “satanic” West as a “holy war of all Russians”, urging Orthodox believers to sacrifice themselves for their country. The Assembly is appalled by such an abuse of religion and the distortion of the Christian Orthodox tradition by Vladimir Putin's regime and its proxies in the Moscow Patriarchate hierarchy. The Assembly condemns such rhetoric and emphasises that incitement to commit the crime of aggression, genocide and war crimes is a crime in itself. The Assembly calls on all States to treat Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox hierarchy as an ideological extension of Vladimir Putin’s regime complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity conducted in the name of the Russian Federation and the Russkiy Mir ideology.

14. On 17 March 2024, Vladimir Putin was declared the winner of the so-called presidential election, whichfrom the outset was not free and fair, with no genuine opponent to Vladimir Putin even being permitted to run.Moreover, polling stations for this election were opened in sovereign Ukrainian territory temporarily occupiedby the Russian Federation and in the Moldovan Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of theDniester, in gross violation of the United Nations Charter and the principle of sovereignty, politicalindependence and territorial integrity of all States.

15. In line with its Resolution 2519 (2023), the Assembly does not recognise the legitimacy of VladimirPutin as the President of the Russian Federation and reiterates its call on Council of Europe member andobserver States and the European Union to cease all contact with him, except for humanitarian purposes andin the pursuit of peace. The Assembly recalls that the abolition of presidential term limits for the benefit ofVladimir Putin violates not only the Russian Constitution but also well-established international legalprinciples.

16. The Assembly considers that the Russian Federation has gradually transformed into a State whichtoday bars the existence of any political opposition. By means of fascist-style propaganda, it has introduced acult of personality around the figure of Vladimir Putin. Through the abuse of the criminal justice system, theregime has suppressed any political and media pluralism; civil society can no longer exist exceptunderground; and the regime is enforcing mass conformity, including through the indoctrination of children. Itpresents to its people a dangerous vision of a Russia which rallies around imperialistic conquest, going as faras to threaten its perceived enemies with nuclear annihilation. All these phenomena, combined with anomnipresent security apparatus, mass surveillance of society and brutal repression against peaceful protests,have turned the Russian Federation into what the Assembly considers a totalitarian State, whose modusoperandi resembles that of a criminal organisation.

17. As the Russian Federation is a federation only formally, the regime of Vladimir Putin has also declaredwar on its own people. In particular, indigenous peoples, national and ethnic minorities in the RussianFederation are forcibly russified and subjected to repression and discrimination, in violation of the RussianFederation’s obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of RacialDiscrimination. In particular, the Assembly notes the disproportionately high losses suffered by military unitscomposed of soldiers conscripted from national, ethnic and indigenous populations. The Assembly considersthis to be a deliberate campaign, aimed at eliminating national and ethnic diversity within the RussianFederation.

18. The Assembly strongly condemns the Russia Federation’s practice of including political opponents ofthe regime on lists of terrorists and extremists: opposition politicians, cultural figures, journalists and civilactivists, leading to further misuse of the Interpol system. Vladimir Putin's order to the Russian FSB to takedecisive measures against the “enemies of the country” both inside and outside of it is also of great concern.In practice, this could lead to a wave of politically motivated assassinations and murders on the territory ofCouncil of Europe member States.

19. Urgent and co-ordinated measures are the only means to counter Vladimir Putin’s totalitarian regimeand its war on democracy. Ukraine must immediately receive the weapons and ammunition that it needs toeffectively defend itself and to succeed in repelling the Russian invaders.

20. The Assembly further considers that sanctions against the Russian Federation must be reinforced tohinder its economy from continuing to finance its illegal war of aggression. The Assembly welcomes theproposal by Ms Yuliya Navalnaya to apply the tools developed for fighting organised crime against theenablers of Vladimir Putin’s criminal regime, namely to conduct investigations into their financial machinations,search for their associates, lawyers and financiers in Council of Europe member States and beyond, in orderto prevent the regime from hiding behind corporate veils and a network of shell companies.

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