https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/?xtor=RSS-1 en https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/local/cache-vignettes/L144xH72/visuel_defaut_une_fd-44916-890bc.jpg?1702480420 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr?xtor=RSS-1 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-france-denounces-the-dismissal-of-the-appeal-of-the-conviction-of?xtor=RSS-1 France expresses its profound indignation regarding the dismissal of the appeal of the conviction of director Evgenia Berkovitch and playwright Svetlana Petrichuk, who were sentenced to six years in a penal colony on July 8. France will be following the situation of Ms. Berkovitch and Ms. Petrichuk with the utmost vigilance while they are under detention. We remind the Russian authorities of their obligations under international humanitarian law and we urge them to release all political (…) 2024-12-26 17:24:34 66081_281807 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/eu-adoption-of-sanctions-against-russia-and-actors-involved-in-destabilization?xtor=RSS-1 France hails the Foreign Affairs Council's adoption of the 15th package of EU sanctions against Russia yesterday, more than a thousand days after the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the first package of sanctions aimed at Russian actors involved in destabilization operations. The 15th sanctions package targets a number of actors engaged in circumventing the sanctions put in place by the EU, as well as individuals and entities that directly contribute to the (…) 2024-12-17 17:36:04 66081_281731 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/france-denounces-the-new-prison-sentence-for-aleksei-gorinov-opponent-of-the?xtor=RSS-1 France vigorously denounces the verdict handed down by a Russian court against Aleksei Gorinov, the former Russian municipal deputy and opponent of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, sentencing him to an additional three years of prison under a strict detention regime. In 2022, Aleksei Gorinov received a seven-year prison sentence for opposing Russian's war of aggression against Ukraine, which was decided down under a repressive law that was passed shortly after the Russian (…) 2024-12-03 09:55:04 66081_281491 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-q-a-extract-from-the-press-briefing-29-oct-2024?xtor=RSS-1 Q: What is France's reaction to the stepped-up North Korean military presence in Russia? A: On October 28, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs summoned North Korea's representative following reports of the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia. That would represent a new escalation in North Korea's support for Russia's war of aggression and a direct threat to European and international (…) 2024-10-29 16:08:27 66081_280938 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/sentencing-of-m-laurent-vinatier-by-the-russian-authorities-14-oct-2024?xtor=RSS-1 Laurent Vinatier, a French citizen, has just been handed a three-year prison sentence for not being registered on the “foreign agents” register. This is an extremely harsh sentence. The “foreign agents” legislation contributes to a systematic violation of fundamental freedoms in Russia, such as freedom of association, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression. It is helping to abolish the last spaces of freedom that were available to civil society, the independent media and political (…) 2024-10-15 11:30:55 66081_280708 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-q-a-extract-from-the-press-briefing-23-aug-2024?xtor=RSS-1 Q: An accreditation request for the Paris Paralympic Games made by a journalist from the news agency RIA Novosti was denied. What was the reason for this? A: Everyone who requests accreditation for the Paris 2024 Games undergoes an administrative security investigation. This procedure is provided for under French law (article L. 211-11-1 of France's domestic security code) and applies to journalists as well. Once this procedure was completed, the decision was made not to grant this (…) 2024-08-23 22:33:59 66081_279967 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-france-applauds-the-release-of-several-political-prisoners-2-aug-2024?xtor=RSS-1 France shares the joy of the families and allied governments following the release of a number of political prisoners jailed in Russia, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Oleg Orlov, Alexandra Skochilenko, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schöbel and Kevin Lik. We also express our relief, especially in light of the conditions to which they were subjected in prison and the resulting threat to their health. We pay tribute to the courage of the men (…) 2024-08-02 16:21:39 66081_279699 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-sentencing-of-evan-gershkovich-20-jul-2024?xtor=RSS-1 France condemns the shocking sentencing of the American journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in a penal colony. The Russian regime is constantly sliding further into repression. France is very worried by the increasingly powerful obstacles to freedom of expression, the freedom to inform, and access to independent information in Russia. France calls on the Russian authorities to release Evan Gershkovich and all political prisoners, both Russian and foreign, and respect basic rights and (…) 2024-07-22 14:20:01 66081_279583 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-sentencing-of-human-rights-defender-oleg-orlov-12-jul-2024?xtor=RSS-1 France was outraged to learn that the Russian human rights defender Oleg Orlov's two-and-a-half year prison sentence was upheld, following a trial in which the rights of the defense were systematically flouted. This decision is all the more troubling as Mr. Orlov is in poor health and has been subjected to ill-treatment since his initial trial. France condemns this latest example of Russia's authoritarian excesses and calls on the Russian authorities to release all political prisoners (…) 2024-07-12 18:32:27 66081_279487 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/russia/news/2024/article/russia-conviction-of-yulia-navalnaya-11-jul-2024?xtor=RSS-1 France condemns the conviction in absentia of Yulia Navalnaya and the arrest warrant against her issued by the Russian authorities. This is another worsening of the authoritarian direction taken by the Russian regime. It is a cynical, revolting decision, the Russian authorities being responsible for the unjustifiable death of Alexey Navalny in prison on 16 February 2024, and a demonstration of the Russian regime's determination to stop Yulia Navalnaya resuming his fight against corruption (…) 2024-07-11 15:06:05 66081_279468