Council of Europe suspends Russia over actions in Ukraine

The Council of Europe suspended Russia over its attacks against Ukraine on Friday.

The human rights organization said the suspension would have an “immediate effect” over Russia’s participation in the Committee of Ministers and parliamentary assembly made up of 47 countries, The Associated Press reported.

However, Russia was not fully kicked out of the group and is still under obligation to follow its human rights conventions.

The move to suspend Russia came “as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed attack on Ukraine,” the organization said, according to the AP. 

This is just one of the latest moves the international community has taken against Russia for starting a war in Ukraine that has already killed hundreds after one day of fighting. 

Russia has been hit with sanctions by multiple countries with the European Union reportedly gearing up to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister.

Sporting events have been moved from Russia, and the country has been barred from the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Ukraine’s president, however, has said the international community has not done enough as Russia is closing in on the capital city of Kyiv. 

Intelligence officials have said Ukraine has put up a better resistance to the Russian forces than expected, but observers expect Russian troops to take the capital soon.