Ruslan Kutayev, President of the Caucasus Peoples' Assembly, who found himself at the center of a scandal over his statements about LGBTQ+ individuals and so-called "honor killings," will remain on the current Platform of Russian Democratic Forces at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), despite the angry reaction of critics and their demands for his expulsion.

The former Chechen political prisoner's statements sparked widespread outcry among LGBT organizations, human rights activists, and liberal circles abroad. They considered Kutayev's statements unacceptable and regarded them as justification for extrajudicial killings. Following this, numerous appeals were sent to the PACE leadership demanding that the politician be removed from the Platform.

Kutayev himself subsequently rejected this interpretation of his words. He claimed his statements were misinterpreted. Trying to justify himself, Kutayev declared that he opposed any violence and any murder.

Following numerous appeals, PACE also responded to the situation. On April 29, Petra Bayr, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, announced on social media that Kutayev's membership in the Platform had been suspended.

"The PACE Secretariat has received several complaints regarding Mr. Ruslan Kutayev, a member of the PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces,'s compliance with the criteria set out in paragraph 8 of PACE Resolution No. 2621 (2025)," she stated.

"Having reviewed the evidence attached to these complaints, I consider them well-founded and have decided, in accordance with paragraph 7 of Resolution 2621 (2025), to suspend Mr. Kutayev's membership in the Platform, effective immediately," Bayre wrote.

Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov was perhaps the only Platform member to publicly oppose Kutayev's exclusion. However, he did not defend his colleague's initial statements, calling them "absolutely unacceptable words that cannot be tolerated." Nevertheless, he believes that retaining Kutayev in the Platform makes practical sense, as it allows for dialogue with the conservative segment of Chechen society and gradually influencing their views.

"Ruslan perceived, witnessed, and changed his rhetoric before our very eyes—this is an influence on this segment of our Russian, and, well, Chechen, society." […] Will this [his exclusion] help the women whom Memorial and other organizations rescued from relatives who were ready to kill them? Will Ruslan's exclusion help them? No. Will it help protect LGBT people in Chechnya or within Chechen society? No. On the contrary, it will isolate this segment of society, and our impact on this segment will be reduced to zero,” Orlov stated.

Another Platform member, former Russian oligarch and entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky, known for his imperialist-chauvinist views on the North Caucasus, expressed a "we told you so" attitude on the Russian-language channel Bild:

"The PACE position from the start was: 'We want to speak with the broadest possible spectrum of Russians.'" And from this point of view, I, for example, am even pleased that they invited the esteemed Mr. Kutayev, who spoke out regarding “honor killings,” regarding the LGBT community, as a participant in the anti-colonialist part of the Russian platform, well, that’s what he said,” Khodorkovsky reproached PACE.

"This is important because, in my opinion, Europeans should understand the current consequences of their ideas about an independent Ichkeria. This is it. And don't say later that you weren't warned. Mr. Kutayev warned you, you heard it. Well, then, so to speak, make your own decisions," Khodorkovsky, with undisguised glee and sarcasm, attempted to equate the idea of ​​Chechen independence with Kutayev and his statements.

Supporters of Ichkeria, meanwhile, categorically distanced themselves from Ruslan Kutayev from the very beginning, declaring that supporters of Chechen independence cannot in any capacity be part of the Russian platform at PACE.

Ichkeria views itself as an independent state temporarily occupied by Russia and therefore demands the creation of a separate Chechen platform at PACE. Issues of its international legal status, de-occupation, and restoration of sovereignty can be resolved exclusively through international mechanisms and on the basis of the 1997 Russian-Chechen Peace Treaty signed by Boris Yeltsin and Aslan Maskhadov, stated Akhmed Zakayev, head of the Ichkerian government-in-exile, on January 29, 2026.

However, almost a month later, PACE released its official decision on Kutayev's case, and it came as a surprise to many: "The PACE Bureau decided not to change the current composition of the Platform of Russian Democratic Forces for the time being. The decision was taken following the Assembly President's announcement of the intention to discuss the standards of conduct of Platform members and to require them to reaffirm their commitment to the principles of the Council of Europe, including respect for diversity and equality."

Thus, despite the high-profile campaign against Kutayev, the demands of his opponents, and even his temporary suspension from the Platform, the Chechen politician retained his seat on its board.