A group of well-known, exiled Russian public figures have created an Anti-War Committee to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials responsible after they unleashed a "fratricidal war" against Ukraine last week.
Former tycoon and opposition politician Mikhail Khodorkovsky announced the creation of the group, which also includes, among others, ex-world chess champion Garry Kasparov, opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, exiled former lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov, and leading economist Sergei Guriyev.
In a statement late on February 27, the group called on the world community to "take a principal position towards violators of the international law," adding that every person involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week must be held responsible for their actions.
"Direct participants of the invasion, such as the generals and political leadership of Russia who outlined the plan of the invasion, must be recognized as war criminals and face punishment for their deeds," the statement says.
The statement also says that "there is a clear difference between Russians, who have been dragged against their will into Putin's adventurous policies, and those who willingly assist Putin's regime in the ongoing fratricidal war."
"Being Russian citizens...we bear moral responsibility for failing to prevent the war, for allowing the treacherous attack of the Russian troops on a neighboring country," the statement says.
"The Anti-War Committee calls on all real patriots of Russia to consolidate against the aggressive dictatorship of Vladimir Putin despite any kind of political disputes, ideological differences, and personal sympathies or antipathies," the statement adds.
Protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been held in Russian towns and cities since the first day of the attack, February 24. Almost 6,000 demonstrators have been detained since then.
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