Separatism in Russia


Separatism in Russia refers to bids for secession or autonomy for certain federal subjects or areas of the Russian Federation. Historically there have been many attempts to break away from the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union but modern separatism took shape in Russia after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and the annexation of Crimea. Separatism in modern Russia was at its biggest in the 1990s and early 2000s. The topic became relevant again after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The primary causes of separatism are nationalism in the republics, economic dependency, and geographic isolation. The promotion of separatism is illegal in Russia.

Contemporary history

Russian philosopher and regionalist Vadim Shtepa believes that the history of separatism and regionalism in Russia can be divided into 3 parts:
The failure of the Union of Sovereign States project led to Russia taking the place as the successor state to the Soviet Union, leaving uneven distribution of autonomy among the new federal subjects, where the national republics have much more autonomy than the Russian majority regions. It should also be noted that only the republics of Russia signed a treaty giving them autonomy, and Chechnya, despite not signing any treaties with the federal authorities, was still invaded. But by 1993 the treaty principle of federation and the sovereignty of the republics as part of the Russian Federation was not mentioned in the constitution and the old Russian Imperial era symbols, such as the double-headed eagle, were restored.
The 1993 crisis also almost caused the collapse of the Russian Federation, with some heads of republics saying that there was a real risk of a civil war.
In the 1990s, the idea of Russia becoming a eurasianist Russian nationalist state, separate from the west, became more popular among the elite, which created the idea of "Russian world".
By early 2000s all republics were forced to remove the word sovereign from their constitutions by the Constitutional Court of Russia. This started a trend of even further centralization by the federal government.
Vladimir Putin continued Boris Yeltsin's centralization policies by banning regional parties, ending direct gubernatorial elections after the Beslan siege, and by changing titles of heads of republics to head of the republic, instead of president or any other title. By 2008 the idea of "There is Putin - there is Russia, there is no Putin - no Russia", which was quoted by Vyacheslav Volodin, become popular among some politicians.
In 2013 it became illegal to promote separatism. Most of the people arrested or jailed for promoting separatism were discussing it on social networks. Most of the messages did not contain any calls for violence, but only ideas were expressed about the possible independence of one region or another.
In 2015, Moscow hosted the conference "Dialogue of nations. The right of peoples to self-determination and the construction of multipolar world". Journalists called it a "congress of separatists." The main organizer of the event was the Anti-Globalization movement of Russia, which is funded by the Russian government. The conference only included separatist movements outside Russia and most of the organizations present had little support or notoriety. This was not the first time Russia used separatism in other countries in its foreign policy.
Vadim Shtepa believes that by mid-2010s Russia became a failed federation and a postfederal state, where the subjects don't have any actual autonomy.
Members of Russian Government and members of Russian opposition believe that the is one of the biggest threats to modern Russia.
It should also be noted that the understanding of nationality is different from many western countries, due to the fact that during the Soviet era nationality meant ethnic background, thus many separatists devolve into ethnocracy and ethnonationalism, which even happened among some post-Soviet states.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a new rise in separatist activities in the country. Some analysts believe that this invasion may cause a total collapse of the Russian Federation.

Foreign support

Russian government often points at foreign involvement as the primary cause of separatism in Russia, but with the exception of Ukraine, no country directly supported separatists in Russia.

Georgia

allowed the transfer of weapons, ammunition and Chechen rebels through the Pankisi gorge during the Chechen–Russian conflict.

Finland and Estonia

Russian sources have accused Finland and Estonia of stirring up separatist sentiment in the Finno-Ugric republics and regions of Russia. Head of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev often accused Finland of supporting separatism in Karelia, going so far as claiming that Finland is creating a battalion of separatists to invade the Republic.

Ukraine

Ukraine is the only country that openly supports separatist movements in Russia. Since the start of the war in Donbas Ukraine allowed the creation of national battalions. Ukraine is also the only UN member that recognizes the independence of Chechnya, claiming that it's an occupied territory.
On November 9, 2022, deputies of Ukrainian Rada started a motion to recognize Tatarstan and Bashkortostan as occupied territories.
On August 24, 2023, Ukrainian Rada approved the draft resolution on the establishment of the Interim Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the development of the basic principles of state interaction with the national movements of small and indigenous peoples of Russia, which would manage the relations between the Ukrainian state and the separatist movements of Russia.

Separatist volunteer battalions

NGOs

Various NGOs have acted as hosts to various separatist groups, such as the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum and the Free Nations League.

Primary causes

Ethnic and religious causes

  • Pan-Turkism — Originated in early twentieth century. Mainly supported from Turkey. A consolidating anti-Russian factor for Turkic peoples, also Buryats, Kalmyks and the peoples of the Tungus-Manchu group.
  • Siberian regionalism / Siberian Republic — Belief that Russians in Siberia and the Far East warrant autonomy due to their regional distinctiveness. Has its roots in the second half of the 19th century. Geographically and economically isolated regions of the Russian North and Far East often demand more autonomy, isolation causes the local population to preserve or develop its own culture.
  • Pan-Finnicism / Finno-Ugric nationalism — Considers Finnish-Ugric peoples to be indigenous and entitled to lands throughout the northern half of the European part of Russia, and in Western Siberia. In those subjects of the Russian Federation where there are no local Finno-Ugric ethnic groups, there are enthusiasts who claim to be Finno-Ugric after having an "awakening of national consciousness".
  • Quasi-ethnic confederalism and Russian separatism — Exploits dissatisfaction with the policies of the federal center in many areas, tries to create an idea that Russians in the respective regions that make up a separate nation: "Volgars", "Uralians", "Pomors", etc.
These four causes are predominantly secular and do not deny constitutional foundations of the Russian Federation, with the exception of express separatist intentions.
  • New religious sects — Neo-pagans can pose a threat only as an additional a factor of aggravation of the situation in the event of a general destabilization.
  • Wahhabism — Common in North Caucasus, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. One of the biggest threats to security in those regions.

    Other causes

  • Conflict between regional elites and the central government — became especially common after 2014.
  • Organized crime — often uses anti-government rhetoric to gain support among the local population, especially common in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.

    Secessionist movements

Most of the movements in this list have existed before the collapse of the Soviet Union. These movements have some levels of support among the local population, diaspora, local politicians, and regional elites. Most of the movements are still small in size and have limited support.

Northwestern Federal District

The main groups pushing for autonomy and separatism within the Northwestern Federal District are Finno-Ugric peoples, but other civic nationalist movements are also prominent in the region. The movements are mainly located in the Kaliningrad, Leningrad and Arkhangelsk Oblasts, as well as in the Karelian and Komi Republics. The movements in the Northwest are influenced by their close proximity to the European Union and NATO.

Baltic Republic

The Baltic Republic is a proposed state within the borders of Kaliningrad Oblast. The idea was mainly supported by the Baltic Republican Party which was dissolved in 2005 and was one of the few openly separatist parties, which were allowed to run in the elections. Members of the Baltic Republican Party were present in Kaliningrad Oblast Duma until the party lost its status as a political party.
Currently, the idea is supported by Kaliningrad Public Movement, which is represented on the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, and the Respublika movement. Baltic separatists support decommunization and the use of German city names.
In 2022, the Governor of Kaliningrad Oblast said that there was an attempt to create a "German autonomy" in Kaliningrad by western agents to destabilize the region. It was one of the first mentions of separatism in Russia by governors after the invasion of Ukraine.
Opinion polls and electoral performance

Ingria

Ingermanland or Ingria is a proposed state within the borders of Leningrad Oblast and the city of Saint Petersburg. Ingrian separatism began with Viktor Bezverkhy in the 1970s and 1980s, but the concept only gained relative popularity in 1996 with the creation of the Movement for Autonomy of Petersburg and the Independent Petersburg movement. Currently, the idea is supported by the "Free Ingria" movement and "Ingria Without Borders" movement, which are represented in the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum. The main supporters of Ingermanland are Russians unhappy with the nation's centralization, although in recent times "various groups and movements of Ingria supporters" do not support complete Ingrian independence, while some movements still advocate for full independence. Ethnic Ingrian Finns have unsuccessfully requested the movement to stop using their ethnic flag.
In 2022, a popular Russian rapper Oxxxymiron mentioned Ingria in his anti-war song Oyda in which he says "Ingria will be free", which gave the movements more recognition in the region.
In 2023, activists of "Free Ingria" started to organize an armed group as a part of the Civic Council.