Ironic notes on legitimacy, among other things…
Hearings on enhancing participation of indigenous peoples at the UN Human Rights Council
have concluded recently in Geneva. These hearings are part of the process of implementing
decisions of the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples held in 2014.
For reference, the World Conference is a special form of the UN General Assembly meeting
attended by the state and government leaders.
Many important things happen around this process. There are many interesting things to
communicate from participating and observing what is happening. I want to share my
impressions on the participation of “official” Russians, i.e. government representatives and their
puppet indigenous representatives.
I would like to perambulate my observations with a story that preceded the UN World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014. In order to prevent independent leaders and activists
of Russia’s Indigenous peoples from attending the UN General Assembly, the Russian
government (and most likely the FSB, since the Russian Foreign Ministry was unaware of this
action), carried out following special operations in the backstreet gang style:
1) 2) The border service officers at Sheremetyevo cut out pages from the passports of the
World Conference delegates Rodion Sulyandziga and Anna Naikanchina not letting them
out of the country;
Unknown people punctured tyres of the car, in which delegates Valentina Sovkina and
Aleksandra Artieva traveled from Murmansk to the Norwegian border and, when that
didn’t help, tried to take away their passports by twisting their arms. All of this happened
in front of the police officers who were just standing by and watching the violence
unfold.
3) On the day when delegate Zinaida Strogalschikova had to travel to the Conference,
“unknown people” poured some substance into her door lock in Petrozavodsk, so that the
door had to be forced open. Naturally, there was no longer any talk of any flight.
4) FSB officers removed the Crimean Tatar delegate from a train, taking all his documents…
When the Conference delegates learned of these acts, everyone – both governments and
indigenous peoples – condemned the actions of the Russian government except, naturally, the
Russian government itself and its puppet indigenous representatives. The actions of the
government are coherent since one can’t put the blame with himself. But the “puppets” claimed
that the situation was not so straightforward…This is how the “official” Russians (and now they prefer to be named “legitimate” in a
fashionable democratic manner) paved their way to enhancing participation of indigenous
peoples in the UN system.
Russia, China and a few other countries are trying to suspend this process. And, of course, this is
where Russia uses its methods of artful manipulation and propaganda.
Last year the Russian authorities delegated their ‘official” indigenous representatives to attend
the hearings. Ms. Kutsenko (née Shermatova) known in certain circles and running an NGO
named “Luoravetlan” spoke on behalf of indigenous peoples of Russia at the meeting in Geneva
and said that the indigenous peoples of Russia aren’t yet ready to attend and make decisions at a
level that high and reasoned not to rush to the General Assembly meetings as the indigenous
peoples still need to learn. And, naturally, right after this “confession in weakness and inability”
the representative of the Russian authorities spoke against enhancing participation of indigenous
peoples at the UN by arguing – you see, indigenous people themselves admit they are not yet
ready so let’s educate them…
This trick did not work. The process moved forward anyway, and Russia decided to change
tactics. Now the Russian authorities do not seem to object to indigenous peoples taking part in
the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council sessions, but they have started to promote
the idea of official (legitimate) representatives of indigenous peoples taking part in the sessions.
2.
So, about officialism, or legitimacy. Since I can’t bring myself to call these “comrades-
gentlemen” legitimate, I will call them “official”, as they periodically call themselves. And I will
show why they cannot be considered legitimate.
All international events are attended by representatives mostly by three “official” organizations,
i.e. the already mentioned Luoravetlan, as well as the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the
North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation (abbreviation – RAIPON) and the
organization KMNSOYUZ.
I will tell you a bit about these organizations.
2.1. Luoravetlan was created by an American citizen as an educational center for the indigenous
peoples of the North and played a very important role in the development of legal literacy and
youth leadership. When the center founder left Russia and handed the center over to Ms.
Kutsenko, the organization turned into a sort of an agency for international travels to conferences
and seminars. And when the international travelling became complicated, it turned into one of
the largest recipients of Putin’s presidential grants, taking on the functions of disseminating
Russian propaganda on international platforms. This organization does practically no work inside
Russia. And it has never been an organization representing indigenous peoples.One story about its work with Putin’s grants can be found here – https://indigenous-
russia.com/archives/7803
Another story tells about its work as a “tourism and excursion” agency.
As such, Luoravetlan delegated its people with an “unclear background” to complete different
international indigenous internships. During one such internship, the famous Shor leader
Vladislav Tannagashev met a representative of Luoravetlan, who said at a meeting of interns that
she was a Shor. Naturally, Vlad decided to find out more about her and began to inquire what
Shor clan she was from. At first, this “representative” began to get confused in her “testimony”,
and then, realizing that she had been “exposed”, she said that Vlad was violating her human
rights and was having a negative impact on her. Although he only wanted to find out what
mountain clan she belonged to. It can be added that another representative of Luoravetlan for a
long time introduced herself as an Evenki, until she met real Evenkis. Now these and other
representatives of Luoravetlan have “disappeared” into the vastness of Canada, US and other
enemy territories, which their former boss loved to shame. In simple terms, this organization
simply launders grants allocated for the problems of indigenous peoples through the Russian
government officers who support them.
2.2. RAIPON. This largest organization of small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North,
Siberia and the Far East, created by these peoples back in 1990 during the Soviet Union, has in
recent years become a tool for persecuting independent leaders and activists, a mouthpiece for
official Russian propaganda on international platforms and a conduit for big business exploiting
the lands of indigenous peoples. You can read about some of the actions of this organization and
its leaders here –
instrumentom-obogascheniya-i-lobbizma
korennyh-narodov/33061304.html
akmnssidv-rfraipon-08-04
At one time, this organization actually held elections for its governing bodies, and
representatives of indigenous peoples could influence the activities of this organization, couldparticipate in determining its policies and strategies. And its representatives could call
themselves legitimate representatives of their peoples.
Let me recount to you only a few episodes of what this organization is now, what it has become.
2.2.1. Sakhalin. In 2017, a congress of indigenous peoples of Sakhalin was supposed to take
place and an election of an authorized representative of indigenous peoples was to happen. The
authorities, realizing that their candidates would lose, that the people would support a candidate
they did not like, simply canceled the congress…
2.2.2. Magadan Oblast. Indigenous peoples hold their own reporting and election conference and
elect delegates to the All-Russian congress, while completely ignoring the “instruction” of the
authorities to “select” “appointed” delegates. The next day, the authorities declare the conference
illegitimate, hold a new one and “elect” those who are needed…
2.2.3. Tomsk Oblast. The authorities hold a conference of indigenous peoples in the building of
the regional administration, which is inaccessible without a pass. Those delegates whom the
authorities considered undesirable were simply not allowed into the meeting…
2.2.4. Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Khabarovsk Krai. On the “recommendation” of ‘invisible
little men’, people who have been declared unreliable are not included in the governing bodies of
the regional associations.
2.2.5. Primorsky Krai. The Primorsky Krai Association is excluded from RAIPON because it is
headed by an unreliable person, and instead of it, another organization is included, which has
fewer people than I have fingers on my hands. But on the other hand, those people there are
obedient.
2.2.6. Murmansk Oblast. Independent candidate Valentina Sovkina wins the elections for the
head of the Kola Sami Association (RAIPON’s regional division). All other candidates
congratulate Valentina on her victory. The next day, the Ministry of Justice recognized the
elections as “invalid”, and RAIPON leaders, who had congratulated Sovkina on her victory just
the day before, began talking about the illegitimacy of her victory.
2.2.7. Taimyr. In the elections for the presidency of the Association of Indigenous Peoples, the
candidate from the government and Norilsk Nickel, Grigory Dyukarev, loses to an independent
candidate. Dyukarev refuses to recognize the election results and calls a new election conference,
where he again loses miserably. But he again refuses to recognize the results of the vote and to
hand over the organization’s documents to the new leader. The elected leader sues Dyukarev.
The government and Norilsk Nickel, realizing that Dyukarev has no authority at all among his
fellow tribesmen, decide to accept the election results and give Dyukarev the order to hand over
the documents to the new leader, transferring him to another “responsible” job.
The new management, having received the documents, discovers that before leaving, Dyukarev
transferred all the money from the Association’s account to Norilsk Nickel’s accounts.2.2.8. In 2013, before the congress of indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East,
the leaders of regional organizations from the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, Aleksandr
Novyukhov, and the Krasnoyarsk Krai, Valery Vengo, announced they’d run for presidency of
RAIPON and began their election campaigns. The time for the congress came, and neither of
these leaders did not even mention their nominations. And all because they received an order to
support Grigory Ledkov, a candidate backed by the Putin administration. Novyukhov had to
dump all of his printed campaign materials (beautifully designed, by the way) brought to the
congress to the trash.
Regional conferences of indigenous peoples nominated these people as candidates, but for them,
decisions of their organizations were not as important as commands of their masters, i.e. the
Russian authorities that they serve.
It is absolutely clear that such people will not serve any of their own peoples. They serve their
masters – those who give them real power and privileges – the Russian government and Russian
business.
2.2.9. In 2013, at the same congress, Anna Otke, on the contrary, had no plans to run for
leadership in RAIPON, but she did because she was ordered to, because it was necessary to take
away votes from Sulyandziga. Behind the scenes of the congress, a story was even heard that
Otke cried – she did not want to be involved in this dirty business, but she obeyed. After this
“successful operation” of cutting down votes for Sulyandziga, she was given a seat at the
Federation Council.
2.2.10. Here is a story about the “Congress of the Silent”. This congress of reindeer herders is
called silent because the reindeer herders thus exercised a boycott of government officials. This
happened because the officials ignored the opinion and position of the reindeer herders, making
all the decisions at this congress themselves: –
2.2.11. And also read the story of Mark Zdor, a student, a caring young man who sincerely tried
to help his people by participating in the activities of RAIPON. But, as he tried to defend his
independent position, the RAIPON leadership began to threaten him with arrest and criminal
cases: – https://Indigenous-russia.com/archives/32073
2.3. KMNSOYUZ.
This organization can rightfully be called a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel.
Created with the full financial and other support of Norilsk Nickel, this organization is trying to
play the role of an expert organization, without getting involved in scandals, in which the other
two organizations periodically plunge into.
This organization, in its work to protect the interests of Norilsk Nickel and the Russian
authorities, invites various experts, including international ones, to cooperate.Carefully hiding its ties with Norilsk Nickel, its real owner, the KMNSOYUZ presents itself as
an organization representing the interests of indigenous peoples. At the same time, it brazenly
deceives both indigenous peoples and the international community, telling tales about Norilsk
Nickel’s advanced experience in observing the rights of Indigenous peoples, hiding what is really
happening in Taimyr and the Murmansk region.
One of the most important jobs assigned to this organization by its owners is the work to lift
sanctions against the Russian government and Russian business. Representatives of this
organization “cry” in all their statements about the suffering caused by Western sanctions. I even
compared the speech of one such “howler” with the speech of a government representative. It
feels like they were all writing this in the same office.
In addition to disseminating propaganda on international platforms, the KMNSOYUZ is actively
engaged in doing this among the indigenous peoples of Russia. The website of this organization
actively posts propaganda stories and materials. Moreover, this is done at a highly professional
level. According to information shared by the leaders of this organization, the KMNSOYUZ
website is run by Gazeta.ru, one of the Kremlin propaganda teams
This is what these “legitimate” official organizations look like.
3.
And now, returning to the meeting in Geneva, where representatives of RAIPON (Mr. Metelitsa)
and the KMNSOYUZ (Mr. Nemechkin) spoke.
By the way, slightly digressing from the main topic, this Metelitsa constantly ends his speeches
with calls to lift sanctions against Russian businesses and officials, which echo with pain in his
heart. And it even delivered a joke: “As always, the meetings and discussions at the UN were
unpredictable, and only Metelitsa was stable. As always, he was talking nonsense.”
So, returning to the loud speeches of Metelitsa and Nemechkin on issues of legitimacy. They
again declared their legitimacy and the illegitimacy of my colleague and friend Yana
Tannagasheva, who represented the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia at
this meeting.
Firstly, I have already described above WHAT the organizations on whose behalf these people
speak are.
Secondly, unlike them, neither Yana nor our Committee (- https://icipr.international) have ever
stated that we represent the indigenous peoples of Russia and speak on their behalf. Our
Committee was created after the start of the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, which was
supported by the organizations of these Metelitsa and Nemechkin. My friends and comrades and
I felt it was our duty to state that not all indigenous peoples support this regime and this
aggressive war. We also decided to do everything in our power to tell the truth about this
criminal regime and the violations that this regime commits against indigenous peoples.
Thus, we are in the same position with these people in terms of legitimacy.But there is a huge gap between us and them, two fundamental differences that allow us to be on
the same side of the barricades with other indigenous peoples:
1. We fight for the rights of our peoples (and they defend the Russian government),
2. We tell the truth (and they engage in propaganda and lies).
And thirdly. About the legitimacy of Nemechkin and another such figure, Tsykarev -–
(https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/democracy-and-media/human-rights-expert-from-russia-
considered-a-threat-to-security-and-health-in-finland/129971 ?) –
Why did these two figures, who do not belong to the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia
and the Far East, suddenly become their legitimate representatives?
Why don’t they deal with the problems of their own peoples? Why don’t they become legitimate
on behalf of their own peoples?
They are educated people, they know international affairs well. They know that if they, as pigs
among race horses, tried to represent American Indians, or Inuits, or Sami, or Maori, they would
have received such a slap in the face that they would not dare to get in a shooting distance of
these issues. And in today’s Russia, everything is possible. It is not the people who decide who
will represent them, but the Russian authorities. And it is very important that the indigenous
peoples of other countries, the international community, understand this when they listen to the
next future speeches about the legitimacy of such “official” representatives.