Vladimir Putin, currently ruling the Russian Federation, is a criminal. Many people in the world know about his crimes against Ukraine. But not many see and understand what crimes he has been committing in Russia for more than 2 decades. And it is not only theft and corruption. These are crimes against the person, against the lives of political opponents, against European values. And also crimes against the people of Russia, aimed at moral decay and moral degradation.
Many Russians have left the country since Vladimir Putin came to power. There were peaks in 2008, 2012, and 2014. The biggest wave of departure is associated with the beginning of full-scale aggression in Ukraine. Today, there are millions of Russians and people with Russian roots scattered around the world. They are our support in the fight against Putin's criminal regime. They have made a choice in favour of democratic values. They know and understand how the criminal regime works and develops. They have the freedom to act in the interests of the future of a free Russia. They are us, standing here on this square. And we are acting. Today we are opening our exhibition Faces of Russian Resistance in the Netherlands to mark the month against Putin's repression. We want people to know more about what is happening right now in Russia. That's why we have already organised exhibitions in more than 20 cities around the world, and we are preparing almost 30 more. The texts of the biographies of the heroes of the exhibition have been translated into 12 languages. A book with the speeches of political prisoners before their sentencing has been published. It will be translated and available in at least 4 more languages. We appeal to the citizens of the world, to democratic politicians to oppose Putin's crimes. After all, the dictatorial regime poisons not only the citizens of its own country, but also spreads the bacillus of moral decay throughout the world.
Every day I think about what more we can do to bring closer the release of political prisoners in Russia. And every day the news brings more and more cruel sentences - 20, 25, 27 years for something that in a healthy society is not a crime. Two years ago, we said that this is not yet Stalinist repression. But today it is already clear that the next step could easily be firing squads and sentences of threes. If nothing stopped the murder of political prisoner number one Alexei Navalny, what can stop the destruction of ordinary people who dared to speak out openly against the dictatorship?
Standing in the square in Amsterdam, I want to address European politicians. For more than 20 years, they turned a blind eye to what was happening in Russia. The finale of this was 24 February 22. And now the price of compromise and soft solutions is too high. Every time you make decisions that consolidate Vladimir Putin's power, you extend for years and decades the prison terms of thousands of honest and courageous people in Russia. You are taking a step towards meeting the prolongation of the aggressor's dictatorship. Remember this.
I want to address the emigrant community. You and I have the greatest value - freedom. The only thing higher than it is life. People who come out against the criminal regime in Russia sacrifice their lives. Our goal and responsibility is to use our freedom to bring a free and new Russia closer. And we have the tools to do so. Diaspora leaders can and should become actors in the politics of their countries.
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