It took 26 years, a war, and a vote, but Russia is finally out of the Council of Europe. The flag came down in Strasbourg on March 16. A committee of ministers made it official: membership ceased that day. Russia becomes the first member state ever expelled from the continent’s premier human rights body.
The move was not sudden. The process started earlier that week when the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted unanimously to back the expulsion. That vote set the stage for the committee’s decision. Tiny Kox, the president of that assembly, said it plainly: the expulsion “was necessary, and I am glad we dared to do so.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was the trigger. The Council of Europe was founded after World War II to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law across the continent. A member state launching a full-scale war against another member — Ukraine is also a member — breaks that founding pact. Leaders across Europe said Russia’s actions alone forced the outcome.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde put it in stark terms. “Russia’s actions alone have led to this outcome,” she said. She added a hope that Russia would one day return “to the ideals of peace and democracy, and regain its membership.” That day is not coming soon.
Russia did not go quietly. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted Russia would have left anyway. He accused NATO and EU countries of “abusing their majority in the council” and turning it into “a tool for anti-Russian policy.” The expulsion came anyway. Staff took down the Russian flag from outside the headquarters. A small gesture. A big symbol.
The Council of Europe is not the European Union. It is a separate 47-nation body focused on human rights law, including the European Court of Human Rights. Russians could take cases to that court. That access is now gone. So is Russia’s seat at the table where European human rights standards are set.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, welcomed the decision immediately. He said there was “no place for Russia in European bodies.” That line sums up the mood in Kyiv. The war is in its fourth week. Cities are under bombardment. Civilians are dying. The Council of Europe’s move is one more piece of isolation.
Kox made clear where the organization stands now. “The Council of Europe remains on the side of the victims of this unprovoked war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” he said. “And all our thoughts are now with the Ukrainian people.”
This was not a close call. The parliamentary assembly vote was unanimous. The committee of ministers followed through. For a body that rarely expels anyone — and had never expelled a member state — the speed and unity were notable. Russia had been a member since 1996. Twenty-six years ended in a single decision.
The context matters. The Council of Europe suspended Russia’s voting rights after the 2014 annexation of Crimea. But it did not expel the country then. The invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 crossed a line the annexation did not. The organization decided it could no longer sit with a member waging war on another member.
What remains is a smaller, more coherent human rights body. One without Russia. One that says it stands with Ukraine. One that has proved it will expel a major power when the rules are broken. The flag is down. The membership is gone. The war goes on.
