Russia – Political repression (October 30, 2025)

As we commemorate the victims of political repression in the Soviet Union, and in light of attempts to rewrite and instrumentalize history, France is concerned by the accelerating crackdown we are witnessing against all those who are critical of the Russian government.

The number of political prisoners recently surpassed 1,000, and many of them, including Alexei Gorinov, Maria Ponomarenko and Igor Baryshnikov, have experienced sharp declines in their health.

France calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally release all those who are being detained on political grounds and to abide by its international obligations to guarantee fundamental rights and liberties.