Exiled Russians criticise visit of sanctioned Russian politicians to Geneva

Around 200 Russian opposition figures and supporters have sent an open letter protesting the participation of the president of the Russian Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, and other politicians close to the Kremlin at a parliamentary meeting in Geneva. The authors of the letter are calling for a criminal investigation. Their letter is addressed to the Swiss government and parliament, among others. Among the signatories are the Swiss-based organisation Russia of the Future - Switzerland, and the well-known dissidents Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Matviyenko is considered a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin. She had already taken part in the summit of female parliamentary presidents organised by the president of the Swiss parliament, Maja Riniker, in Geneva on Monday. In the days that followed, she led the Russian delegation at the United Nations Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, which ...