Urgent Open Letter: Protest Against the Participation of War Aggressors in the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva

Date: October 19, 2025 Location: Zurich, Switzerland

 

Addressees:

 

The Honorable Maja Riniker, MP, President of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly

The Honorable Andrea Caroni, President of the Council of States of the Swiss Federal Assembly

The Honorable Ignazio Cassis, FC, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)

 

Copies for Information: Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Presidents of the Parliamentary Commissions for International Affairs of both Chambers, International Media, Members of the National Council, Members of the Council of States, Federal Council (Bundesrat).

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IMMEDIATE CALL TO ACTION

We call on the Federal Assembly and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs to publicly condemn the presence of the Russian regime's war-inciting representatives in Switzerland and to make a symbolic visit to the exhibition of political prisoners' artwork "Repression Federation" at the University of Geneva (October 21–25), demonstrating Switzerland's commitment to human rights, and not playing along with aggressors.

 

 

Esteemed Madam President, Esteemed Mr. Head of Department,

 

On behalf of the Future Russia—Switzerland Association (Verein Russland der Zukunft – Schweiz), we express our deepest protest and outrage that the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva is once again providing a platform to representatives of a regime responsible for aggression, war crimes, and unprecedented political repression.

 

PROTEST AGAINST HOSTING THE MILITARY ELITE AND THEIR OBJECTIVES

The presence in the delegation of the Putin elite—including Konstantin Kosachev (systematically engaged in the propaganda of aggressive war), Pyotr Tolstoy (expelled from PACE for warmongering rhetoric), and Leonid Slutsky (a proponent of anti-democratic laws)—is a direct challenge to the principles of peace, democracy, the rule of law, and the neutrality of Switzerland.

 

We are obliged to ask: What is the true purpose of this elite's visit to Switzerland? Lacking the ability to engage in constructive dialogue, they use the IPU platform merely to imitate legitimacy in the West. We resolutely protest against the use of humanitarian and parliamentary forums for military propaganda and the legitimization of aggression.

 

THE MATVIYENKO PRECEDENT AND THE USE OF PROPAGANDA

We wish to recall our Open Letter of July 29, 2025, regarding the previous visit of the Russian delegation. Our protest at that time drew broad attention from Swiss and international media, highlighting the conflict between diplomatic protocol and the ethical stance.

 

Regrettably, Russian officials, in turn, used the very fact of their high-level reception for internal propaganda purposes (as reported, for example, by Izvestia), claiming that the West was supposedly calling to "stop anti-Russian rhetoric." Thus, any silence or lack of decisive response from Switzerland becomes a direct tool in the hands of Kremlin propaganda.

 

OUR CALL: DO NOT ALLOW AN ETHICAL FAILURE TO BE REPEATED

We call on Switzerland to stand by its principles, not by protocol.

 

• Public Condemnation: We call for a public statement that clearly distinguishes the Swiss position from the aggressive rhetoric disseminated by the delegates on Swiss territory.

• Integration of the Voices of the Russian Opposition into the IPU Program: We insist that the IPU and the Swiss side ensure the participation in the official Assembly program of representatives of the Russian opposition in exile who advocate for the democratic development of Russia.

• Visit to the "Repression Federation" Exhibition: We call on you to officially visit the exhibition of artwork created by political prisoners in Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories, at the University of Geneva (October 21–25). This exhibition, organized as part of the "Freedom Zone" Festival, tells the stories of people who fought against the war, resisted the criminal Putin regime, and were imprisoned for their beliefs.

 

We expect an immediate and decisive reaction that confirms Switzerland's commitment to international law and the protection of human rights, which stand above diplomatic protocol.

 

With respect,

 

The Board of the Future Russia—Switzerland Association (Verein Russland der Zukunft – Schweiz)

 

Contacts: contact@futurerussia.ch

Website: www.futurerussia.ch

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Signatures

1. Future Russia – Switzerland

2. Manfred Spalinger, Archivar

3. I_ Olga, FRS

4. Oleg Nenashev

5. Roman Freelancer

6. Самофалов Михаил Сергеевич, режиссер

7. Michael Bargatin

8. Тихомиров Иван, студент

9. Alexander Pomazuev, lawyer | The Anti-Corruption Foundation

10. Кущенко Алексей Иванович, шахтёр

11. Nikita Levkin, YDM Vesna (Diaspora)

12. Daniil Ken, The Anti-Corruption Foundation

13. Константин Долганов, студент

14. Mikhail Fridman

15. Nikita Kuznetsov, translator

16. Yegor, the citizen of Russia

17. Soladelante LLC

18. Evgeny, software designer

19. Irina Grinkova, Administrator, NLFT NHS Foundation Trust, UK

20. Peter Volkov, devops

21. Roman Leibov, the University of Tartu, Estonia

22. Михаил Рябец, программист

23. Elena Bruttin

24. Dmitrii Vladimirov

25. Виктория, пенсионерка

26. Michail Maiatsky, University Lecturer (emerit.)

27. Василий, экс-депутат, Европейский Петербург

28. Vadim Koryagin, Integrated Business Solutions LLC

29. Evgeny Prokopenko, activist

30. Волкова Екатерина, студент

31. Roberto Viggiano

32. Fedor Iurkov

33. Evgenia Shoenberg, doctor

34. Margarita Pfeifer

35. Eugene

36. Comité Ukraine Suisse (section Vaud)

37. Regula Spalinger, Project Manager Eastern Europe

38. Bauer

39. Irina Agarkova, scientist

40. Igor

41. Маргарита Кучушева (демократическое сообщество россиян на Кипре)

42. Александра Стреляная, кинорежиссер

43. Ivan Russkikh, student

44. Павел студент

45. Iaroslav Savin

46. Maksim Liutyi

47. Andrei Groshev

48. Вова Карлов, Студент

49. Vsevolod Novikov, free programmer

50. Елена

51. Yevheniia Zelenska

52. Alexey Nesterenko, president of La Asociación de Rusos Libres, Spain

53. Diana Schenkel

54. Елизавета

55. Alexander Temerev, researcher, Université de Genève

56. Vladislav Eriashev

57. Viktoriia Eriasheva

58. Marina Okhrimovskaya, forall.swiss

59. Kseniia Kolosova, student, Politecnico di Milano

60. Alexey Akulov

61. Alex Orloff

62. Marina Mitaleva

63. Михаил Долиев политолог, Форум Свободной России

64. Nikita Zamyko

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