“The only way to bring Russia to democracy is a peaceful revolution”

In April 29 and 30, during a meeting of the Russian Democratic Club in Berlin, we recorded the consensus on which the whole of the opposition finds itself. It is about the maximum support for Ukraine, the demand for Russia to stop this criminal war and to withdraw from the occupied territories to the internationally recognized borders. Vladimir Putin’s regime is illegitimate. Russia’s imperial policy inside and outside the country must end. War criminals must be brought to justice and the victims compensated.

These principles being adopted, we must now talk about the future. In this connection, I would like to draw attention to our differences, which must be understood by our Western partners, since they affect the strategy of the struggle for democracy in Russia. We assume that the West has a strong desire for Russia to become a free and peaceful democratic state. The main question is whether we unite around the idea of ​​a peaceful democratic revolution in Russia or whether we support the armed struggle.

Together with my colleagues in the Peace, Progress and Human Rights movement, we believe that the only way to bring Russia to democracy is through peaceful revolution. This requires a lot of time and effort on the part of Russian civil society and the West, but there is no other solution. Many anti-war organizations that have not lost contact with Russia are working in this direction.

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Why am I convinced that we can succeed? Because I know that support for the war is decreasing every day among the population: if [selon différentes estimations] 20% of Russians disapprove of the war, 20% support it. We need to work with the remaining 60% by explaining to them that only democracy will allow them to have a decent life, for themselves and for their children. This is what happened in Soviet times under Western influence and which, in large part, led to the peaceful democratic revolution of 1989-1991. We think it can happen again.

Tougher penalties

As for the role that the West can play, there are historical analogies, such as the restoration of democracy in defeated fascist Germany. The role of the democratic countries was decisive because of their occupation of Germany. The establishment of democratic institutions took place under the direct control of the occupiers. Russia will obviously not be occupied. We must therefore prepare ourselves for a longer procedure, which could go down in history as the application of democracy by constraint. We offer a carrot and stick strategy.

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