Statement on 5 July 2023

On July 5th, the Russian prosecutor general’s office declared The Altai Project an “undesirable organization”. It is the 93rd foreign organization to receive this badge of honor for meaningful and effective support of Russian civil society. “The Russian Prosecutor’s office distorts and misrepresents legitimate…

Why a Siberian Shaman Is a Thorn in the Kremlin’s Side

Alexander Gabyshev, a self-styled shaman from Russia’s Far East, has been held in compulsory psychiatric treatment since 2019, after he set out on a cross-country trek to Moscow with the goal of peacefully expelling President Vladimir Putin from power and “restoring democracy” to Russia…

Seminar: The war’s impact on Indigenous peoples of Russia

Russia’s military attack on Ukraine has significantly impacted the life of Indigenous Peoples in Russia. One of the implications of this situation is that some Indigenous representatives who have openly opposed Russia’s actions in Ukraine, have had to leave their native land for security…

Activist organizes concert in Yarmouth to benefit Ukrainian children

Pavel Sulyandziga and a Yarmouth High School student have teamed up to present a benefit concert performed by his opera singer son, Pavel Sulyandziga Jr. Human rights activist Pavel Sulyandziga Sr. of Yarmouth has been fighting for the rights of his fellow Crimean Tartar…

Mark Zdor: “I was threatened with arrest in RAIPON”

Interview with youth activist of the indigenous peoples of the North of Russia Mark Zdor. We met with Mark Zdor in Berlin, in the building of the Bundestag (German Parliament), where we took part in parliamentary hearings on the problems of the indigenous peoples…

Benefit concert for Ukrainian children

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…