Polarization in Siberia: Thwarted Indigeneity and Sovereignty

Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer updates her monograph Galvanizing Nostalgia?  to explore why many in the republics are against Russia’s war in Ukraine.  Drawing on long-term fieldwork in Sakha, Tyva and Buryatia and with diaspora communities, she outlines an uneven legacy of revitalization and grievances in relation to the Kremlin…

One year after Russia’s Ukraine invasion, circumpolar diplomats take stock

TORONTO — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year upended almost 30 years of Arctic cooperation, but it’s also brought northern allies even closer together, a group of diplomats from the world’s circumpolar countries told a Canadian conference on Wednesday. By Eilís Quinn  “It’s been…

Influence of Putin’s aggression against Ukraine on Indigenous Peoples of Russia

Dear colleagues, brothers and sisters, Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the bloody Russian aggression against Ukraine, unleashed by the imperial policy of dictator Putin. This war has already cost the Ukrainian nation tens of thousands of lives, including the lives of the indigenous…

Indigenous Of Russia, The Silent Victims Of Putin’s War

The number of indigenous people in Russia has been declining for decades, but the war in Ukraine has accelerated the trend. Already vulnerable, indigenous groups are more likely to be mobilized and bear the brunt of Western sanctions. While Russia continues its supposed mission…

Alexey Bessudnov. Ethnic and regional inequalities in the Russian military fatalities in the 2022 war in Ukraine

December 2022 Abstract This paper explores ethnic and regional inequalities in mortality in the Russian army during the 2022 war in Ukraine. The analysis is based on a newly available data set containing the names of about 9,500 Russian servicemen killed in Ukraine from…

Forced mobilization in Russia among indigenous peoples for the war in Ukraine. Open letter for UN

To whom: Copy: Since September 21, 2022, in Russia there has been taking place a massive mobilization among the civilian population for the war against Ukraine. We, the representatives of indigenous peoples, speak against this inhuman war unleashed by the Putin regime, and we…

Organization Sign-On Letter: Stop Perpetuating Racist Rhetoric Against Ethnic Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in Russia  

In a recent interview, Pope Francis mentioned Chechens and Buryats as “cruelest” perpetrators of the war in Ukraine. “When I speak about Ukraine, I speak about the cruelty because I have much information about the cruelty of the troops that come in. Generally, the…

Ukraine’s parliament appealed to support self-determination of indigenous peoples in Russia

Ukraine’s parliament appealed to the international community to support the right to self-determination of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation. The corresponding resolution No. 8105 was supported by 322 people’s deputies. The appeal emphasizes that, implementing its aggressive imperialist policy, Russia has been committing genocide…

How the Pope’s Racist Comments Parrot Russian Propaganda

In an interview with America Magazine published on Monday, Pope Francis off-handedly disparaged Russia’s Buryat and Chechen ethnic minorities, characterizing them as the “cruelest” soldiers in the Russian military. By saying this, Pope Francis — whether on purpose or by accident — repeated one of the…

Fleeing Russia, Andrei seeks asylum in what for him still is historical homeland, Sapmi

“I’m pleased to be on this side of the border. To be free and not persecuted. To speak the truth openly and not be afraid.” Andrey Danilov promises to continue defending the rights of the indigenous peoples. “The consequences [of the war] hit hard…