MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Russia, the case of Alexei Navalny, the military build-up on Ukraine’s border and the Russian attack in the Czech Republic

B9‑0236/2021

European Parliament resolution on Russia, the case of Alexei Navalny, the military build-up on Ukraine’s border and the Russian attack in the Czech Republic

(2021/2642(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia, EU-Russia relations and Ukraine,

– having regard to the UN Charter, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,

– having regard to the package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, adopted and signed in Minsk on 12 February 2015, and endorsed as a whole by UN Security Council resolution 2202 (2015) of 17 February 2015,

– having regard to the declaration by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the EU of 18 April 2021 on the deteriorating health of Alexei Navalny,

– having regard to the statement by the spokesperson of the European External Action Service of 19 April 2021 on the expulsion of Czech diplomats and the declaration by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the EU of 21 April 2021 in solidarity with the Czech Republic over criminal activities on its territory,

– having regard to the statement by the G7 foreign ministers and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 12 April 2021 on Ukraine,

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Russia engaged in an unprecedented build-up of its military forces on Ukraine’s borders, in occupied Donbas and in illegally-annexed Crimea, including large-scale troop movements, without prior notification; whereas Russia plans to partially block access to the Sea of Azov by announcing the closure of the Kerch Strait for warships and non-commercial vessels until October 2021, which is in breach of UNCLOS; whereas it has been six years since the adoption of the Minsk Agreements and seven years since the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation and the start of the war in Ukraine;

B. whereas Alexei Navalny, a Russian lawyer, opposition politician and anti-corruption activist, currently illegally incarcerated in a penal colony, has been repeatedly subjected to torture and inhumane treatment while there and is currently struggling with his deteriorating health, which poses a threat to his life, and has still not received adequate medical care; whereas even if Mr Navalny receives the necessary care now, there is no guarantee that he would not be subjected to further inhumane or life threatening treatment or attempts on his life; whereas the European Court of Human Rights has deemed his imprisonment illegal and life threatening and has stated that Russia must release him immediately; whereas the EU has condemned the poisoning of Mr Navalny in the strongest possible terms, imposed targeted sanctions and continues to demand an independent investigation into his poisoning;

C. whereas the rights to freedom of thought and speech, association, and peaceful assembly are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation; whereas the situation of human rights and the rule of law continues to deteriorate in Russia, with authorities continuously infringing on these rights and freedoms;

D. whereas Czech authorities confirmed that the attacker responsible for the explosions at the Vrbětice ammunition depot in 2014 was almost certainly a state actor linked to the Russian military intelligence GRU; whereas these illegal actions on the territory of the Czech Republic resulted in the deaths of two Czech citizens, a serious threat to the civilian population, immense material damage and a critical violation of an EU Member State’s sovereignty by a foreign power;

E. whereas on 17 April the Czech Republic announced its decision to expel 18 Russian embassy staff based on its findings; whereas Russia decided to expel 20 Czech diplomats in response; whereas on 22 April the Czech Republic decided to reduce and cap the number of staff at the Russian Embassy in Prague to the current number of Czech staff in Moscow, pursuant to Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, giving the Russian embassy time to comply by the end of May;

1. Fully supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders; condemns the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and its direct and indirect involvement in armed conflicts in eastern Ukraine, as well as human rights violations carried out on these territories and the passportisation of citizens in occupied Donbas and Crimea;

2. Calls on Russia to immediately cease its provocations at the Ukrainian border, which have a destabilising effect on the whole region and beyond, and to de-escalate tensions in line with its international obligations, such as the OSCE principles and commitments on transparency of military movements and the Vienna Document; is relieved by the announcement of the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu that troops on exercise will return to base by 1 May, and insists that all Russian troops must withdraw immediately; urges all sides to adhere to the ceasefire agreement; expresses its solidarity with Ukraine and supports its restraint in the face of current provocations;

3. Urges all sides to fully implement the provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including the end of military activities in eastern Ukraine, and to engage constructively with the Normandy Process and the Trilateral Contact Group; emphasises the need for a political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and a stronger role for the EU in peaceful conflict resolution;

4. Urges the Member States to prepare and communicate to Ukraine a credible long-term perspective for EU accession; calls on the Member States and EU allies to offer Ukraine robust security guarantees that would provide safeguards against future escalations with the Russian Federation;

5. Strongly condemns the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny and calls for his immediate and unconditional release, as well as the release of those detained at mass protests in his support; calls on the Russian authorities to grant Mr Navalny immediate access to doctors of his own choosing and to improve conditions in prisons and detention facilities in order to meet international standards; calls on the Member States to explore possibilities for the evacuation of Mr Navalny in coordination with the Russian authorities;

6. Deplores the Russian authorities’ intention to declare the Anti-Corruption Foundation headed by Alexei Navalny an extremist organisation as baseless and discriminatory; emphasises the fight against corruption and that the desire to participate in a free and pluralistic public discourse and electoral process is an inalienable right of any individual and democratic political organisation and has nothing to do with extremist views;

7. Expresses its solidarity with the democratic forces in Russia committed to an open and free society, as well as its support for all individuals and organisations who have become targets of attacks and repression; urges the Russian authorities to cease all harassment, intimidation and attacks against the opposition, civil society, the media, human rights and women’s rights defenders, and other activists; encourages the EU to continuously call on Russia to repeal or amend all laws that are incompatible with international standards; recalls its strong support for all human rights defenders in Russia and their work; calls on the EU Delegation and Member States’ representations in the country to strengthen their support for civil society and to use all the instruments available to step up their support for the work of human rights defenders and, where appropriate, to facilitate the issuance of emergency visas and provide temporary shelter in the EU Member States;

8. Condemns Russia’s malign interference in the Czech Republic as a gross violation of international law and the sovereignty of an EU Member State; calls on Russia to cease any activities that threaten security and stability in the EU, to hold those responsible to account, and to compensate the families of the citizens who died in the 2014 attack; expresses its solidarity with the Czech Republic and calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and the Council to take appropriate countermeasures, including extending targeted sanctions in the event of retaliation against the Czech Republic or any other EU Member State; calls on the Member States to consider expelling Russian diplomats in solidarity;

9. Condemns propaganda and disinformation in the Russian press and its malicious spread to the EU, as well as the work of Russian troll farms, especially those currently defaming the Czech Republic by claiming that it is a satellite of US interests and not a sovereign country with independent information services; condemns cyber-attacks on the Czech strategic state administration institution in connection with Russian military espionage;

10. Calls on the VP/HR and the Council to devise a new strategic approach to the EU’s relations with Russia, which must better support civil society, strengthen people-to-people contacts with the citizens of Russia, draw clear red lines for cooperation with Russian state actors, use technological standards and the open internet to support free spaces and restrict oppressive technologies, and demonstrate solidarity with the EU’s Eastern Partners, including on security issues and peaceful conflict resolution; underlines that any dialogue with Russia must be based on respect for international law and human rights;

11. Asks the Council and the VP/HR to strengthen resilience and countermeasure capabilities against hybrid interventions, including consistently combatting money laundering, especially in relation to funds of the Russian elite deposited or spent in the EU, and reducing the EU’s dependence on Russian energy; urges the EU institutions and all Member States, therefore, to stop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and to demand a stop to the construction of controversial nuclear power plants built by Rosatom; calls for the EU’s sanctions mechanisms to be redesigned to make them less sluggish, complex and over-legalised; demands that the Member States speak with one voice at the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on Russia’s continued disregard for rulings by the European Court of Human Rights;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the President, Government and State Duma of the Russian Federation.