Russia is no longer going to participate in the European Council - Foreign Ministry

Russia is no longer going to participate in the European Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said . The department added that Russia does not intend to put up with "the subversive actions of the West to replace international law with its order."

Representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry also accused the EU and NATO of destroying the Council of Europe and the common humanitarian and legal space in Europe. The department also believes that "the states unfriendly Russia abused their absolute majority in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe."

"Moscow will not participate in the transformation of the Council of Europe into a NATO and EU Western self -executive venue: enjoy each other, without Russia," the department said.

According to Senator Andrei Klishas, the exit from the Council of Europe will not affect Russians. However, as Senator Konstantin Kosachev stated, the release of Russia from the Council of Europe involves the simultaneous exit from the European Convention on Human Rights. This means that the ECHR for Russians will be closed.

As the human rights activist Pavel Chikov explains , in addition to statements, no steps have been taken to withdraw from the Council of Europe.

"To withdraw from the Council of Europe, the federal law on the denunciation of the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom is needed. After the adoption of its State Duma, approval by the Federation Council and the signing by the president, denunciation enters into force. According to the Charter of the Council of Europe, the state ceases to be its member from January 1 of the next year," Chikov writes.

In the case of the exclusion of Russia, the ECHR Council of Europe will still be able to consider complaints that have already been filed, and accept complaints about violations of rights committed before the country's exit from CE.

Earlier, the European Council suspended the right of representative office in it of Russia because of the "armed attack of Russia on Ukraine." By this, Russia violated the charter of the organization, which obliges to recognize the principle of the rule of law and guarantee all persons under its jurisdiction, observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

This decision was made by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for the first time in the history of the organization, it entered into force immediately. Later, Russia and Belarus were also temporarily excluded from the Council of the Baltic Sea.