- Photos show the Russian flag being taken down after the country was removed from the Council of Europe.
- The organization chose to remove Russia from the Council over its invasion of Ukraine.
- "The Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership," the organization said.
Photos show officials from the Council of Europe taking down the Russian flag outside its headquarters after the country was removed from the organization on Wednesday.
"In an extraordinary meeting this morning, the Committee of Ministers decided … that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership," the Council of Europe said in a statement.
The council said it opted to end Russia's membership over Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion and war in Ukraine.
Following the decision, Associated Press photos showed Council of Europe staff removing Russia's flag from its headquarters in Strasbourg, France.
The Council of Europe said in its statement that Russia had informed the organization of plans to withdraw on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly unanimously adopted an opinion that decided Russia could no longer be a member of the organization, the statement said.
The Council of Europe first suspended Russia's representation on February 25, the day after it invaded Ukraine. In a statement posted on their website at the time, the council said that the move would only be temporary.
"In line with the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers has today decided to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly with immediate effect as a result of the Russian Federation's armed attack on Ukraine," the statement from the Council of Europe said at the time.