The German Institute for Democracy and Development criticizes Russia’s reckless activities as a widening and thoroughly unjustifiable invasion of a sovereign nation in reaction to the Russian government’s decision to recognize two regions of Ukraine as independent republics.
Yesterday’s acts were a heinous continuation of the Putin regime’s years-long drive to destroy Ukraine’s democratic institutions. The European Union and allies should continue to join Ukrainian and Russian voices in condemning this authoritarian attack on a weak democracy.
It’s also long past time for the European Union and other democracies to cease letting our economy to serve as breeding grounds for the perpetuation of rotten kleptocratic regimes. This situation has been exacerbated by the unrestricted presence of dirty Russian money in major Western economies. It has strengthened and perpetuated the Putin regime, while also tying policymakers’ hands and undermining their credibility in attempting to discourage Russia from acting on its threats through diplomacy.
Civil society activists in the region and the European Union have long advocated for the exclusion of more of Russia’s corrupt oligarchs and abusive senior officials from Western markets through Global Magnitsky sanctions and other penalties. The European Union, the United Kingdom, the US, and their partners should take this step right away.
