Preparing for the after. This is the objective of some of the members of the Russian opposition gathered this weekend in Poland. Their goal: to open a democratic path for Russia after the fall of Vladimir Putin. A probable outcome, according to them, in the context of the war in Ukraine. They want to lay the first stone of what a transitional government could be, and want to show that the opposition still exists.
With our correspondent in Warsaw, Martin Chabal
Gathered in a hotel in the suburbs of Warsaw, the opposition to Vladimir Putin wants to be ready.
Ilya Ponomarev is a former Russian MP. He opposed the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and today he is one of those organizing this meeting.
Our objective is to create a transitional parliament. A body that will be set up the day after the change of power in Russia.
There will be no direct impact on Russian society at the end of this rally. But according to political scientist Olivier Védrine, close to the Russian opposition and who came to observe the debates this weekend, it is a historic moment for the opposition.
For me, we must offer an alternative, a hope, to a system that is going to be at an impasse. And to avoid chaos, this organization must be there to federate a transition.
Choosing Warsaw to host such a meeting is also symbolic. For Liudmyla Buimister, Ukrainian MP invited as a sign of support for the Ukrainian people, Poland has once again shown its devotion to its neighbour.
It is a new page in history that is being played out today, but it is Poland that best understands what the threat of the Putin regime represents, and it is very good that Poland supports this kind of ‘initiative.
For its part, Warsaw wants to assert itself as an irreproachable future ally of a government that is biding its time, outside Russian borders.
►Read again: Poland is building a barbed wire fence on its border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad