Vladimir Putin has been in power in Russia as President or Prime Minister without interruption since 2000, and the amendments to the Russian Constitution adopted in July 2020 and recognised as illegitimate by the Venice Commission and the Assembly allow him to remain in office until 2036. Since coming to power, Vladimir Putin has been constructing a regime whose aim is to wage a war against democracy and redraw the European and global order established after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Occupation of Transdnistria, invasion of Georgia in 2008, the war in Ukraine since 2014, the illegal annexation and occupation of territories, the destruction of freedom of expression inside Russia, the disinformation war around the world, the persecution and assassination of its political opponents inside and outside Russia and the creation of a system of legislation that criminalises political views are just a few but not all of the features of Vladimir Putin’s regime. The unlawful imprisonment and, as a result, the death of Alexei Navalny is a continuation of the policy of Vladimir Putin's regime and its war against democracy.
This introductory text sets out the current context, which is reflected in later paragraphs of the resolution.