Russia announced that it formally left the Council of Europe, the Strasbourg-based human rights watchdog, writes DW.

Russia’s departure from the body potentially preempts the country’s expulsion following its invasion of Ukraine.

The head of the delegation at the Council of Europe"s Parliamentary Assembly, Pyotr Tolstoy, handed a letter from Russia’s long-serving foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, to the Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric of the Council of Europe.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also posted a statement on its Telegram channel announcing that it was “launching the procedure to exit the Council of Europe”.

“We part with such a Council of Europe without regret”, - the ministry said.