In April–May 2022, Djamboulat Souleimanov, now President of the Chechen national liberation movement “United Force”, travelled to Ukraine on a diplomatic mission accompanied by the team of the Committee for the protection of the state foundation “Tolam”. During his visit, he met with several members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and presented two proposals: the recognition of the occupation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria by the Russian Federation and the recognition of the genocide committed by Russia against the Chechen people.
He proposed that Ukraine recognize not the independence of Ichkeria directly, but rather its occupation, arguing that Ukraine could not recognize the independence of a territory that remained under Russian occupation and whose occupying forces were actively participating in the war against Ukraine.
Both proposals were adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in its resolution of 18 October 2022.
https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/2672-20
Following the adoption of this resolution, on 1 November 2022 Djamboulat Souleimanov was received at the Ukrainian Parliament by Oleksandr Merezhko, Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Interparliamentary Cooperation, as well as by Bohdan Yaremenko, diplomat and Member of Parliament. This meeting marked the first step toward establishing official relations between Ukrainian and Chechen representatives.
https://t.me/verkhovnaradaofukraine/8259
On 25–26 November 2022, the First International Congress of Chechen Political Emigrants was held in France, during which the movement “United Force” was established.
On 14 December 2022, with the aim of implementing the resolution in support of Ichkeria, Oleksandr Merezhko announced the creation of the inter-factional union “Free Ichkeria” within the Ukrainian Parliament, as well as the establishment of cooperation with the movement “United Force” in order to jointly advance the Chechen issue on the international stage.
Ми разом – проти російської агресії – У Верховній Раді створено міжфракційне депутатське об’єднання “Вільна Ічкерія” – Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України
On 10 January 2023, the first meeting of the “Free Ichkeria” group took place. Djamboulat Souleimanov, newly elected President of the movement “United Force”, was invited to attend and travelled to Ukraine for the occasion. During this meeting, the Ukrainian delegation invited the movement to cooperate with it within the framework of the sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/883544.html
Since January 2023, the Chechen people have, for the first time, enjoyed permanent representation on the international stage through the participation of the movement “United Force” in the work of PACE. Over the following three years, despite the continued influence of Russian narratives and attempts by representatives of the Russian opposition to hinder its efforts, the Chechen delegation succeeded in placing both the Chechen issue and the question of Russia’s decolonization on the international agenda.
At the beginning of 2025, the activities of “United Force” attracted the attention of several national movements representing peoples oppressed by Russia. These organizations entrusted Djamboulat Souleimanov with a mandate to represent their interests before PACE. Among them were Heimkehr Bürgerinitiative, Dagestan National Center, Free Circassia, the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People, the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile, the Committee of the Independent Confederation of Siberia, and Stop the Occupation of Karelia.
This initiative led to the creation of the “Free Nations Group”.
With the support of the Ukrainian delegation and the “Free Nations Group”, the proposal advanced by “United Force” to establish a platform for peoples oppressed by Russia was considered by PACE and incorporated into its Resolution 2621 on Russian democratic forces, adopted on 1 October 2025.
Among other outcomes, this initiative secured the allocation of one-third of the seats within the future platform of Russian democratic forces to representatives of these peoples.
Res. 2621 – Resolution – Adopted text
During the Spring 2026 Session of PACE, a meeting bringing together “United Force”, the “Free Nations Group”, and PACE President Petra Bayr was devoted to discussing this platform project.
Through its participation in PACE sessions, “United Force” also developed cooperative relations with several European delegations. In this context, a meeting took place with Markus Wiechel, Head of the Swedish Delegation to PACE, paving the way for enhanced cooperation.
Following a proposal put forward by “United Force” and inspired by the Ukrainian example, Markus Wiechel took a historic step by calling on the Swedish Parliament and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs to recognize and condemn the occupation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria by the Russian Federation.
https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/motion/tjetjeniens-status_hd022381
At present, Markus Wiechel and the movement “United Force” are collecting parliamentary signatures in order to bring the Chechen issue before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in the near future.
On 24 March 2026, the cooperation between the movement “United Force” and the parliaments of European countries continued, this time at the Seimas of Lithuania, where the first official meeting of the Temporary Group for Relations with the Oppressed Peoples of Russia was held in the presence of leaders of national and regional movements.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXrwfqxikQS/?igsh=MXB2cXlwZWVzbDQyZw==
