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**<div>US President</div>**
**<div>Joseph R. Biden Jr.</div>**
**<div>The White House</div>**
**<div>1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW</div>**
**<div>Washington, DC 20500</div>**


&emsp;&emsp;Dear Mr. President,

&emsp;&emsp;For 63 years the presidents of the United States have been proclaiming an annual Captive Nations Week, which testifies to the commitment by the United States to protect the fundamental rights, freedoms, values, and principles proclaimed by the UN – liberty, democracy, the right of nations to self-preservation, development, and self-determination.

&emsp;&emsp;The year 2022 has shown that it is not yet time to abandon the ideas of fighting for the freedom and liberation of peoples from colonial dependence and the power of repressive regimes.

&emsp;&emsp;Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine to destroy the state and the people that have already been fighting against Russian aggression and occupation for eight years. The Kremlin is making great efforts to reoccupy Ukraine and take away freedom from the people who declared independence 4 times in the 20th century (1918, 1939, 1941, 1991) and supported their desire to form an independent state by making huge sacrifices in their lives. Today, the Ukrainian nation is fighting for the preservation of its national state and free development, a right which is denied by the current Russian government, which has established a full-fledged reactionary fascist regime in its own country.

&emsp;&emsp;The Ukrainians, who themselves escaped from the embrace of the Soviet empire in 1991, are well aware of the dangers of returning to the past. They have before their eyes a tragic example in the form of the silent soldiers of the captive non-Russian peoples fighting in the Russian army whom the Putin regime mercilessly condemns to death in a war that is contrary to all international legal norms. The war unleashed by the Kremlin reminds us of the true meaning of the words “freedom” and “one’s state”. Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and their state. The nations held captive by the Russian empire are forced to fight for the interests of the state/government hostile toward them and for the preservation of the dominance of the Russian criminal mafia elite that has usurped power. The twisted logic of the situation is that these non-Russian soldiers shed their blood to take away freedom from the Ukrainians, who, unlike their people, have been lucky enough to achieve it as a result of centuries of struggle against Russia.

&emsp;&emsp;Most of the territory of present-day Russia consists of the territories of dozens of captive nations and of hundreds of indigenous peoples which were conquered, occupied, and annexed in whole or in part: the Kazan Khanate, the Astrakhan Khanate, the lands and states of the peoples of the North Caucasus, Karelia, Erzyan Mastor, Buryat-Mongolia, the Kalmyk Khanate, the lands of the Nogais, Circassians, the peoples of Siberia and the Russian Far East. In the territories occupied by Moscow, the most common colonial policy of exploiting natural resources is carried out: hydrocarbons, ores of ferrous, non-ferrous, and rare earth metals, precious stones, many kinds of chemical elements, the soil, forests, wildlife, and other resources are exploited for hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Moscow takes all this wealth. This money is used to support the administrative and repressive apparatus of the imperial Russian state, its law enforcement agencies, its army, Russian cultural institutions, and its education system. The populations of the occupied territories receive the smallest amount from this cash flow, which is not enough even for their current needs.

&emsp;&emsp;The available statistics of those who died in the war demonstrate disproportionately high rates of casualties among representatives of the national republics comprising the Russian Federation - both in absolute terms and per capita. The loss of a significant number of young men carries a special danger for the captive nations in Russia, whose future as unique ethnic and cultural communities are already in danger of disappearing as a result of Russia's policy.

&emsp;&emsp;However, the war is not the main problem of the captive nations under Putin's state. Their national rights, provided for by international institutions (the UN, the Council of Europe) and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, are constantly violated. The state languages of the republics are being purposefully ousted from the sphere of education and from public life, in general, to be replaced by the Russian language. National and regional parties are banned. The republics are losing the powers, rights, and freedoms guaranteed to them by the Russian Constitution and federal treaties between them and Moscow. National NGOs are closed by the order of the authorities and the security and intelligence services. Activists of national movements in Russia are persecuted by the state bodies and subjected to repressions and anonymous reprisals to a much greater extent than the well-known figures of the main Russian opposition.

&emsp;&emsp;The majority of citizens of non-Russian nationalities in Russia are discriminated against, restricted in their civil rights, and subjected to systematic insults. Russia, as a result of the policy of the Putin regime, has ceased to be a Federation, turning into a centralized state, where almost all issues of regional and local life are resolved in faraway Moscow. Decision-making competence on most issues, including the internal development of any region, including national ones, as well as the “preservation” and “development” of captive nations and indigenous people, belongs to the so-called federal center. All rights to regulate, dispose and manage the legislative and regulatory sphere, budgetary funds, use of land, subsoil, and basic natural resources belong to the Russian authorities, and not to the regions.

&emsp;&emsp;In vast areas, the captive nations and indigenous peoples have been displaced, reduced to a pitiful minority, or simply annihilated. In these territories, the local population has been assimilated and/or replaced by Russians and representatives of other Slavic peoples (e.g. in the Finno-Ugric North, in Kuban, in the lands of the Don Cossacks, the Volga region, Siberia, the Russian Far North, the Baikal region, the Russian Far East). All this did not happen naturally, but as a result of the purposeful policy of the predominantly Russian state in its various forms – the Moscow principality, Muscovy, the Russian Empire, the USSR, and the Russian Federation.

&emsp;&emsp;Each captive nation living on its ancestral lands within the Russian Federation has constantly lost and continues to lose its population, territory, language, cultural characteristics, self-government, natural resources, security, etc. As we watch the flourishing of the national cultures, the economies, and the democracies in the freed republics of the former Soviet Union, we must conclude that only true sovereignty can save a people from assimilation and extinction.

&emsp;&emsp;Sharing the values of modern democracy,

&emsp;&emsp;feeling a sense of belonging to the goals of the Captive Nations Week,

&emsp;&emsp;wishing a worthy future for our descendants,

&emsp;&emsp;We, the representatives of the national movements of the nations held captive by the Russian Federation, appeal to you with the following requests:

To support the nations held captive by the Russian Federation in exercising their right to self-determination;

To condemn the Kremlin's policy of assimilation and acculturation of the non-Russian peoples in Russia;

To demand that the Putin regime stop persecuting ethnic activists and immediately release all political prisoners;

To recognize the natural resources in the homeland of the nations held captive by Russia as their national treasure;

To condemn the use of non-Russian peoples by the Russian empire in a war that is foreign to them;

To impose sanctions against Russian officials who violate the rights of the non-Russian peoples in Russia;

To introduce into the text of the law Public Law 86-90 Captive Nations Week Resolution the names of the nations held captive by Russia, a list of which we are ready to present separately;

To consider the possibility of organizing and holding an International Tribunal for Communism.

***<div class="text-center">Freedom for Nations! Freedom for Individuals!</div>***

Please accept, our highest regards!

The representatives of the national movements:

Bashkir – Ruslan Gabbasov,

Buryat – Dorzho Dugarov, Rajana Dugar-DePonte,

Cossack – Vyacheslav Demin,

Kalmyk – Vladimir Dovdanov, Batyr Boromangnaev, Erentsen Dolyaev, Albert Sharapov

Nogai – Edige Bekmurzaev,

Tatar – Rafis Kashapov, 

Erzya – Syres Bolyaen, Vitaly Romashkin, Genio Markon.

To introduce into the text of the law Public Law 86-90 Captive Nations Week Resolution the names of the nations held captive by Russia, a list of which we are ready to present separately

Free Nations League sends letter to President Joe Biden

Last weekend, the Free Nations League held rallies and pickets in Europe and the United States. The organization, which unites representatives of the national and regionalist movements of the nations held captive by the Russian Federation, has brought supporters of the independence of the national republics and separate Russian territories to the streets.

***"Rallies and pickets are only a part of the events with which we join the Captive Nations Week, officially established in 1959 by US President Dwight Eisenhower. According to the special resolution drawn up by the Ukrainian scientist Lev Dobryansky, there was established annual holding of a cycle of events  in the third week of July, devoted to the peoples under the oppression of communist Russia. Later, the focus of the Captive Nations Week shifted towards human rights issues. However, this year, announcing the Captive Nations Week, the US President for the first time mentioned Russia — he put it first among all repressive regimes,"*** explains **Ruslan Gabbasov**, a member of the FNL and head of the Bashkir National Political Center.

The easternmost city where the League action took place was the Estonian Tartu, where there is a cell of political emigrants of Finno-Ugric origin. The representative of the people of Erzya, **Aris-Anton Smirnov**, came to the city's main square with his friends, among whom was **Alexey Ivanov**, wanted by the Russian police. A criminal case was opened against Ivanov because he called as "fascists" the police officers who approached him during the anti-war picket on February 24 and demanded to introduce himself. Alexey is also known for communicating with representatives of the government in the Komi language. During one of the detainments the young men asked for translation of the protocol into Komi language, but the Russian security forces refused to invite an interpreter. In response, the activist refused to sign the protocol. In March of this year, Ivanov asked for asylum in Estonia.

A significant part of FNL activists are political emigrants of the new wave, activists of national movements who left the Russian Federation already in 2022. However, there are those who emigrated earlier, such as the Tatar activist **Rafis Kashapov**, who spent a three-year term in a Russian prison for his political views, in particular, for condemning the annexation of Crimea. Rafis's brother **Nafis Kashapov** is also a political emigrant. Both brothers, members of the "Free Idel-Ural" movement, held actions in Great Britain and the Czech Republic.

Kashapov's associates — Tatar emigrants in the Netherlands (**Dinar Minkaev** and **Dinar Sagdeev**), Sweden, Montenegro (**Nafisa Gubaidullina**), Turkey and the USA also took part in protest actions. A Tatar activist **Irshat Khaby**, together with an associate with an Erzya flag, held a picket at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York. There is a poster at Irshat's feet with the inscription in the colors of Tatarstan "Tatars are not slaves! Tatarstan is not Russia!"

***"I learned about the Free Nations League from my Tatar friends. In this organization there are both Turks and Finno-Ugrics, both Muslims and Buddhists. Ingermanlander regionalists with nationalist Cossacks. All of us are united by the desire to get freedom and leave the Russian Federation. Personally, I believe that now our Tatar people have a historical chance. It is necessary to use it. Our salvation is in independence!"*** — says Irshat, while passers-by look at the activists' posters and flags.

In the USA, in addition to New York, pickets also took place in Philadelphia and Cleveland. The organizer of the action in Cleveland is Erzya activist **Vitaly Romashkin**. A tall young man holds in his hands a white-red-black flag —  the banner of the Erzyan national movement. Vitaly explains: ***"I invited my American and Ukrainian friends to the event. They know that I am neither a "good Russian" nor a "bad Russian". I'm not Russian at all! I am Erzya by nationality, and I have a clear understanding that the rapid reduction of the number of Erzya, the aggressive policy of assimilation of my people, as well as other captive nations, is something that Russia is proud of and that Russian society considers a great success. They cannot be proud of Russian medicine and social welfare, but they are proud of assimilation. I have no desire to save Russian culture, as well as Russia in general. This prison of nations must be destroyed, and the Erzya Nation must get Independence."***

The action in Philadelphia was organized by a Buryat **Radjana Dugar-DePonte**, Kalmyks **Albert Sharapov** and **Dordzhi Mandzhiev**. A group of activists with national flags gathered in the square in front of the art museum — a traditional place for political rallies in the city.

Albert talks about the evolution of his political views: ***"I became a supporter of the Independence of Kalmykia while still being a patriot of Russia. I considered Russia a friendly country to Kalmykia. Therefore, I did not see any problem in separating, because this would bring only advantages to Kalmykia. But my countrymen convinced me that the Russians would come in tanks and kill us all. After that, I naturally ceased to be a patriot of Russia, and after a while I ceased to consider myself a Russian and a citizen of Russia. In 2014, during the Maidan, I wished Ukrainians victory over pro-Russian groups, entry into the EU and NATO. If this happened and Ukrainians began to live better, then people in Kalmykia would see this as an example for themselves. Of course, Putin could not allow this. This is why he began aggression against Ukraine. But what he did in February 2022, I do not find any logical explanation. Pure madness. I am against Kalmykia remaining in Russia after Putin, our people will not survive the next bout of insanity of the Russian people."***

Cossack activist **Vyacheslav Demin** also held a single picket in Spokane, Washington. In 1984, he was imprisoned for anti-Soviet activities, after which he was sent to exile in Kazakhstan. He was released during Gorbachev's perestroika in 1987, among a large group of amnestied political prisoners. Vyacheslav fights for recognition of the Cossacks as a separate people by the international community, and is a supporter of the idea of   the independence of Cossacks - the state of the Cossacks, which is mentioned in the resolution of the US Congress in 1959.

Actions were also held in Germany, where **Ilshat Kinzyabaev**, representative of the Bashkir National Political Center, organized a picket in the center of Frankfurt am Main. A group of Ukrainian emigrants joined him.

Another action was held in Vilnius. In the Lithuanian capital, the associates of the deputy chairman of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people, **Vladimir Dovdanov**, who while being still in Kalmykia signed an appeal in support of Ukrainians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, as well as the representatives of Ingermanland regionalists **Mike Ingram**, came to the Cathedral Square in the Lithuanian capital. **Marat Shakurov** of the Bashkir National Political Center spoke at the rally.

A picket against Russia's war and imperial policy was also held in Turkey. In one of the squares in Antalya, the Tatar national activist **Farit Zakiev** held an action of the Free Nations League. As in Germany and Lithuania, activists from Belarus and Ukraine came to support the restoration of the independence of the occupied countries.

In total, the Free Nations League was able to mobilize its supporters in Estonia, Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands, Montenegro, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and the United States. The geography and involvement of participants from the latest wave of political emigration indicate a growing interest in the ideas of independence among national and regionalist movements within the Russian Federation.

***"Thanks to our series of events held throughout the Captive Nations Week, we managed to establish new contacts both with our emigrants and with Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Estonians and representatives of other nations. The most important thing is that the number of contacts with our compatriots who remain in the territory of the Russian Federation has increased. Our actions will not be limited to pickets in emigration. We will prepare our allies for a forceful confrontation with the Kremlin regime,"*** concluded Vladimir Dovdanov, one of the co-founders of the Free Nations League.

Free Nations League held rallies in Europe and the United States. The organization, which unites representatives of the national and regionalist movements of the nations held captive by Moscow

"Salvation in independence": Nations held captive by Moscow rallies in 11 cities around the world

Every year, on the third week of July, the whole world supports the nations held captive by empires and undemocratic regimes. We call on our like-minded people living in the US, the EU and Asian countries to come out and loudly and publicly declare:

I am for the freedom and independence of my republic or my land!
I am against the invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine!
I am against colonialism and despotism of Moscow!

Rallies will take place:

July 17th
US, New York City, at 12:00 PM, in front of the entrance to the United Nations main building.

July 23
US, New York City, at 3:00 PM, Times Square.

Every year, on the third week of July, the whole world supports the nations held captive by empires and undemocratic regimes.

Rallies during the Captive Nations Week

The document shows that, striving for the end of the today's Russian empire and the creation of new independent national states on the territories occupied by it, the OUN(B) and the Oirat-Kalmyk People’s Congress agreed on the following:

Establishment and development of cooperation between the Ukrainian and Oirad-Kalmyk peoples in the sphere of public, political, economic, military, informational and cultural life.

Cooperation in efforts aimed at the final collapse of the Russian Empire.

Joint activities in preparation the Oirad-Kalmyk people for statehood and independence of Oirat-Kalmykia.

The memorandum was signed by the Chairman of the OUN (Banderivtsi) Oleg Medunytsia and Volodymyr Dovdanov, Deputy Chairman of the Oirad-Kalmyk People’s Congress.

![Signing documents](/images/posts/oun_okpc_1.jpg)

On July 13, a Memorandum of Partnership and Cooperation was signed in Kyiv between the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Banderivites) and the Oirad-Kalmyk People’s Congress.

Free Nations League

Freedom for nations! Freedom for individuals!

Rallies during the Captive Nations Week

"Salvation in independence": Nations held captive by Moscow rallies in 11 cities around the world

Free Nations League sends letter to President Joe Biden

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