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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

How developed is the liberation movement of indigenous peoples in the Russian Federation? What should be the help of the civilized world to these movements?

As someone who actively participates in the liberation movement and observes the development of it from the inside, I can answer these questions.

When we talk about our peoples we prefer to use the term "captive nations" or "nations held captive by the Russian Federation". It is important for us to send a message to other countries, to the democratic countries in Europe, Asia, to the USA and Canada, that we are not Russians. Every captive nation has a history of fighting for independence in the 20th century.

![Freedom to Captive Nations banner](/images/posts/philadelphia_rally.jpg)

The war in Ukraine does open an opportunity for our nations to secede from Russia, create our own independent democratic states and become a place where our peoples can live peacefully and flourish. Such opportunities have happened before in history. When Russian Empire collapsed, we did mistake when we believed communists and fell into slavery for many decades. You know, Ukraine was also among these deceived and captive nations. When the Soviet Union collapsed, our freedom again was taken away. With genocidal war against freedom-loving Chechen people, Russia demonstrated to other peoples what they could expect if they pursued freedom. This time, we don't want to make a mistake and miss the chance. For this, our nations established the Free Nations League - an organization whose main goal is creating independent national states in place of the Russian Federation and preventing the revival of the Russian fascist state.

We believe helping us, the captive nations, the entire world would benefit.

Non-Russian peoples want to be seen and heard. Please start talking to nations held captive by the Russian Federation. They'll appreciate you addressing them directly, accept your support and start acting. With your moral help captive nations can dismantle Russia from the inside and step on the path of historical transformation as it's been done by other nations after the Berlin Wall was torn down. New countries will make the world richer. People will discover new places with unique nature, cuisine and culture.

When the civilized world has discussions with so-called "good Russians", it needs to understand that these Moscow politicians, liberals with imperialist mindset, are funded by Russian oligarchs. They can replace Putin, but they can't change Russia, because their interest is only to save their wealth and keep plundering colonies. Russia is doomed to suppress non-Russian peoples and become an empire again and again.

Let's break this vicious circle!





We believe helping us, the captive nations, the entire world would benefit.

Russia is doomed to suppress non-Russian peoples and become an empire again and again


Hello Dear Readers! 

Dear readers, my name is Davur, and I am an Oirat. On behalf of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people, [I spoke at the conference on Imperial Russia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFl7tjiXC7o), organized by the "European Conservatives and Reformers" faction in the European Parliament in association with the Forum of Free Peoples of Post-Russia. On the sidelines were journalists from the ‘glad handing’ media of the “all-Russian agenda”, who, with gloomy faces, were observed scribbling furiously on their laptops. Last Friday, almost simultaneously, several materials were published about the conference (in Novaya Gazeta Europe, Meduza, TV Rain (Dozhd’), and so on), the general tone of which was reduced to disparaging the speakers and the agenda of Russia's disintegration. In several of them, dubious phrases were used, for example, the Bashkort Ruslan Gabbasov was called "an elderly balding man with glasses" in a report by Ilya Azar, who is, likewise, an elderly balding man with glasses. The most sincere member of the Navalny Team, Vladimir Milov, who does not mislead the audience and says everything that is spinning in his head (which are not the most complimentary nor humane thoughts), published a long segment in which he states that Russia cannot fall apart. For me, this manner of coverage of ‘The Imperial Russia’ forum and the entire discourse of criticism aimed at the regionalist movement testify to several fundamental theses that guide the so-called "Good Russians".

#### Thesis number 1. They do believe in Russia "from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok".​

The Soviet anthem stated that the peoples, subjugated by the Tsars, Bolsheviks and Communists *“have welded forever to stand"* by Great Russia. Politicians and public figures of the *“all-Russian agenda”* (for brevity, we use the term *“all-Russians”*) consider the entire space of the Russian Federation to be ethnically homogeneous (*“Russians live everywhere”*), an economically whole territory and which is not subject to disintegration. In their perception, Russia is a single entity, and the people living in Bryansk, Petrozavodsk, Elista and Kyzyl are all one people. How this differs from the concept of late Putinism regarding Ukraine and Belarus is not clear. In addition, the Good Russians of Moscow and St. Petersburg are sure that only they, with their wisdom and inflexibility, as well as their readiness to use repression, save us, non-Russians, or else *omnium contra omnes* (all against all). Since they declare we are incapable of making amends or of constituting our own states, I can declare this line of thought political primordialism.

#### Thesis number 2. They stigmatize us because they can't find a way to debate our agenda.

The rhetoric of the materials mentioned above is aggressive, targets personality and looks, and is not about arguing with the agenda. It should be noted that not all activists and national movements have adopted the idea of secession from Russia. For example, a representative of the Itelmens who was present at the forum called for protecting the indigenous way of life of his people, which is being encroached upon by the brazen business practices of the Moscow metropole and which violates all possible environmental standards. Nevertheless, all-Russians are trying to erase our differences and create an image of us that is depersonalized and, subsequently, convenient for stigmatization and obstruction; how this differs from the propaganda cliché of "Russophobe" or "Russian-cutter" is again not clear. The only funny thing is that there is, in fact, no answer regarding the national question on the agenda of the all-Russians themselves (Navalny Team, Mikhail Khodorkovsky etc.). Everything should be decided by "parliamentary rule". True, so far no one has given an answer as to how to ensure that the rights of the same Itelmens are respected in the all-Russian parliament. I can assume that the right of veto for them in the format of the European Council, where France and Germany are forced to conduct extensive negotiations with Poland, Lithuania and other states, is out of the question for all-Russians.

#### Thesis number 3. They dream of returning to February 23, 2022.

No matter how you slice it, it's true. I thought about this during my conversation with Akhmed Zakayev, the leader of Ichkeria. The terrible magic of numbers that is, given February 23 is also the date of the Genocide of the Chechens and Ingush. In a good way, in the Russian discourse of late Putinism, the all-Russians were satisfied with many things. Siberia and the Far East were under effective Moscow control, the Chechen fighters for freedom were either killed or expelled, and “liberal bureaucrats”still remained in the Putin system. At that time, they were seen as a plausible starting point for the much talked about “rift between elites”. The President of Russia was praised for the efficient reforms of the first years of his reign (taxation, land use regulation), and respected for the fight against "separatism". Allegedly, in the eyes of all-Russians it is enough to dismiss Putin, carry out several detentions and seizures of assets, and start to build the Great and Free Russia. Moreover, in all honesty, not every one of those who are considered to be Russian liberal democrats firmly and correctly answers the question "who owns Crimea?". There will definitely be preconditions like "well, people did vote there" or "if we give it away, it will cause resentment among the Russians." But on February 23, 2022, one could calmly perceive the temporarily occupied territories as Russian, one could talk about "another referendum" and even "the impossibility of returning it back to Ukraine." In other words, the all-Russians have no understanding that the past will no longer exist. The Russian project was given many chances both by European and US governments. I remember the time when "from Lisbon to Vladivostok", Pan-European projects arose. Russia received all-around support for their economy, visa-free travel and other things of global economic integration were widely discussed. The most terrible thing for all-Russians, perhaps, is that they cannot prove their right to have one more chance to modernize, democratize and preserve Russia as a geopolitical reality. The most daring all-Russians are accusing the "collective West" that it is they who are to blame for the rise of Putinism. How this differs from Russian state propaganda and its accusations about the "collective West" is, again, not clear.

So the best tactic for all of us, I think, is to reasonably ignore their insults. We should focus on the following: (1) make our own agenda more appropriate to new realities; (2) establish ties with foreign nations and develop our own political representation on an international level; and, finally, (3) create an image of the future for our peoples and nations. After all, in 1984, hardly anyone in the Soviet republics perceived liberation movements and their leaders as anything other than outcasts and rebels. They were either killed or locked behind bars in KGB camps. And then these men and women, being in the minority, defeated Russian Soviet imperialism. If disintegration of Russia is "beneficial to Putin and the Kremlin," as the Good Russians say, then I'd rather be "with the outcasts and rebels", who strive for liberty for their nations.

***Davur Dordzhiev, Member of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People***

If disintegration of Russia is 'beneficial to Putin and the Kremlin,' as the Good Russians say, then I'd rather be 'with the outcasts and rebels', who strive for liberty for their nations.

They Dream of Returning to February 23, 2022

The rally was attended by representatives of nations held captive by Russia and China.

Every year since the Cold War, or more precisely, since 1953, Captive Nations Week has been held in the United States.

Initially, the Week was initiated and organized to draw the attention of the American public to the Soviet occupation of the countries of Eastern Europe, the unfree situation of the peoples of the Soviet Union's Soviet republics and the states in other regions of the world occupied by communist regimes. This initiative was enshrined in Federal Law 86-90 signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959. Since then, U.S. presidents have annually declared the third week of July Captive Nations Week.

The observance of the Week, the protest and lobbying activities of émigré organizations over the decades played an active and significant role in U.S. efforts to contain and counter the threat of communist expansion and ultimately the global defeat of the USSR in the Cold War.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, most of the countries and territories mentioned in this Law became free from communist dictatorships and took the path of freedom from Moscow and formed independent states. Nevertheless, there are still hundreds of peoples and territories in unfreedom, under repression, bans and the threat of extermination, in colonial dependence, primarily in Russia and the PRC, including: Bashkirs, Buryats, Sakha, Tatars, Adyghe-Cherkesses, Oirat-Kalmyks, Ingush, Chechens, Karachai-Balkars, Erzyans, Avars, Laks and other peoples of Dagestan, Mari and representatives of other peoples oppressed by Moscow, as well as Tibetans, Uighurs, Zhuans, Mongols and other peoples of China.

In 2024, in the framework of Captive Nations Week (July 14-20), a series of rallies, mass demonstrations and pickets are held in various countries and cities of the world under the following main slogans: “Freedom and Independence!”, “Freedom to Captive Nations!”, “Russia is an Empire”, “Stop the Russian Empire!”, “ Freedom to Nations! Freedom to the individual!” and others.

![Kalmyks Rally](/images/posts/signal-2024-10-14-222208_003.jpeg)

In addition, the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People and the Free Nations League will launch a Petition and send Appeals to the President of the United States, leaders of both houses of the U.S. Congress on the need to support our peoples in their quest for freedom, democracy, preservation, development and independence. After all, only true democracy, freedom, self-determination, sovereignty and independence can save our peoples from discrimination, repression, physical destruction and total extinction. As an expression of real support, representatives of national movements will unite in initiating the adoption of a new law on Captive Nations oppressed by Russia. The adoption of this law can contribute to the preservation of hundreds of thousands of lives, liberation, political self-determination and development of our nations.

![Kalmyks Rally](/images/posts/signal-2024-10-14-222208_002.jpeg)


Members of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People held a rally at Times Square in Manhattan, New York City on July 2024 for Captive Nations Week.

A rally to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the start of Captive Nations Week

There have been a number of nomadic peoples in the recent past in the vast expanses of Eurasia - Kazakhs, Buryats, Tuvans, Altaians and some Bashkirs. The Kalmyks are one of them. However, Kalmyks are the only nomads that in historically documented times have made two trans-continental migrations: in the beginning of XVII century from Central Asia (Western Mongolia) to Eastern Europe (the shores of river Volga), where they founded their khanate, and at the end of XVIII century from the banks of the Volga back to their historic homeland of Western Mongolia. The Kalmyks thus repeated the traditional migration route for nomads (Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns and Tatar-Mongols) of previous eras (Early Iron Age and Middle Ages).

The change of the ethnic name from Oirats to Kalmyks in the course of migration is repeated by facts known from ancient history. For example, Yuezhi having left Central Asia for the Eastern European steppes were known as Alans, Kimaks, and having settled in the lower reaches of the Volga became known as Polovetses. This makes it possible to consider the history of Kalmyks in the context of world history as the last nomadic wave from the depths of Asia to Europe.

The reason for the expansion of nomads from the East to the West should be sought in the specifics of their nomadic economy.  At certain historical intervals, as a result of favorable climatic conditions, the nomads of the Central Asian steppes accumulated large numbers of livestock. Even with slight climatic fluctuations towards aridity, there was a sharp shortage of pastures, and some of the nomads were pushed out of the region in search of new pastures.  At the same time, the most powerful tribal unions, confident in their ability to conquer, set out in search of better pastures and new markets for their livestock. That is, in brief, the mechanism of all nomadic migrations.

For example, historians point to a whole complex of political and socio-economic problems as a reason for the departure of the Oirat from Central Asia to the Volga River. However, another manifestation of the global historical-ecological pattern can be seen in the compounding of this complex of problems.  The migration of Kalmyks to the West can be compared in one sentence with the movements of ancient and medieval nomads, thus determining their place of destiny in the global historical process.

There have been a number of nomadic peoples in the recent past in the vast expanses of Eurasia - Kazakhs, Buryats, Tuvans, Altaians and some Bashkirs.

Ancient Nomads and Kalmyks: a connection across centuries and space

Martin Luther, the initiator of the Reformation in the Catholic religion, once said so. We, too, can say, “We stand here because we cannot do otherwise!”. Many other people would like to stand next to us, shoulder to shoulder, to say No to the Russian Empire. But the empire frightens people and fetters them with fear: for life, for property, for sources of funding.

###  Russia's war to seize Ukraine

The war of Russia against Ukraine is the war of the empire for the transformation of the sovereign Ukrainian state into a Russian colony. For us, the peoples of the national republics: Ichkeria, Ingushetia, Oirat-Kalmykia, Sakha-Yakutia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Buryatia, all of us still in the internal colonies of the Russian Empire, it is especially clear that the Ukrainians’ heroic resistance is a struggle for freedom from the empire, for the right to live as they themselves want, and not as Moscow orders them to.

Since February 24, 2022, so many innocent Ukrainians have died: civilians and soldiers, so many cities and towns have been destroyed. And all this, only because the Russian Empire wanted to seize and make Ukraine its obedient colony. This Empire must be destroyed! The time for empire is over!

### How did the Russian Empire appear?

Until 1547, Moscow was small in territory and insignificant politically. It was called the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the forcible annexation of Novgorod Republic in 1478 and the lands in the north, it became known as the Tsardom of Russia. The Tsardom of Russia began to be called an empire in 1721, when Tsar Peter I assumed the title of Emperor of All Russia.
  
In 1552, the troops of Ivan the Terrible took the capital city of the Kazan Khanate  and 4 years later the Astrakhan Khanate was conquered. So the Russian Empire has expanded its territories to the east to Idel River, which they renamed into the Volga, and still call it “the Great Russian River”, although seven different nations live on the banks of the Idel: Chuvashs, Mari El, Tatars, Udmurts, Bashkorts, Oirat-Kalmyks, Kazakhs.
 
In 17th-19th centuries, the territories of Siberia and the Far East, Central Asia and the North Caucasus were captured. Throughout history the empire led the conquest by fire and sword and enslavement of people.  

All nations put up a fierce resistance. For example, the Russian-Buryat wars lasted for 137 years. The Bashkorts raised numerous uprisings for several centuries. The empire waged a war for the conquest of the North Caucasus for more than 100 years. Only 3% of the population of Circassians remained after the war.

### How many non-Russians are in Russia?

For politicians and the world community, Russia continues to be associated only with ethnic Russians, Orthodox Christians, and white Europeans. While about 40 million people live in 21 national republics with the status of subjects of the federation, and in 4 autonomous national districts. Among the peoples there are representatives of all world religions: Buddhists, Muslims, Christians. Their native languages are Turkic, Mongolian Finno-Ugric, and Caucasian. Each of the national republics has a head of the republic, a government consisting of ministries and departments, its own parliament, its own coat of arms, flag and anthem. The borders of the national republics are recognized by law. Thus, the republics have all the signs of statehood. But this is all on paper, de jure, but in fact de facto, all national republics are colonies. Under Article 1 of the UN Charter, colonized peoples have the right to self-determination.
The territories of the republics and autonomous regions make up 75% of the total area of the Russian Empire, where more than 80% of natural resources are extracted. That is why the colonies are beneficial to Moscow, but is Moscow beneficial to the colonies?

### The collapse of the empire does not begin these days, it ends! Why?

The Soviet Union was much larger than today's Russia because it included 15 more unified republics. In addition, today's six Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the GDR were shackled by the chains of the Soviet empire. They were called the countries of the Eastern Bloc. In 1991, 15 union republics: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan became sovereign states. This allowed the countries of the Eastern bloc to get out from under the iron hand of the empire. In 1994, the last Russian troops were withdrawn from East Germany. Thus transpired the beginning of the collapse of the empire.

The completion of the collapse of the empire will happen, perhaps soon, when 21 national republics and a number of regions will exercise their right to sovereignty.

### Why is the collapse of the empire beneficial to the world community?

When, 30 years ago, in 1991, the collapse of the empire began and 15 union republics became sovereign states peacefully, this turned out to be beneficial for the democratic countries of Western Europe and the United States. Finally,  the arms race ended with the Soviet Union, because it was gone. Reducing military spending over the past 30 years has allowed the West to use the savings for peaceful purposes, for the well-being of its citizens. Three countries - Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced the deployment of nuclear weapons on their territories in order to make the world safer.

If the national republics and regions of Russia exercise their right to sovereignty, then these new countries will be small in terms of economic potential. They will never be able to pose a military threat to the whole world, which is the aggressor country Russia with its nuclear weapons. Mining in new countries will be limited to their small needs, which will have a positive environmental effect on climate and global warming. Moreover, a number of sovereign countries, such as Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Mongolia, will finally be able to get out from under  the shadow of a strong neighbor and reach the second stage of decolonization. Finally, the time will come when these countries in their foreign and domestic policies will proceed from their own interests, and not voluntarily follow the instructions of Moscow. In the meantime, they have to do this under the threat of a military invasion or a hybrid war. The entire Eurasian continent will breathe freely. The number and political weight of democratic countries will noticeably increase throughout the world.

### So far, most Western politicians are still guided by the opinion of the Russian opposition elite, under the leadership of Khodorkovsky and Kasparov, as well as Navalny.

It is better to call this opposition elite the Moscow one, since it represents the interests of an exclusively privileged layer of the capital, prospering at the expense of the national republics and regions. The Moscow opposition elite is trying to promote its vision of a United, Indivisible Russia with Nuclear Weapons at the political and public levels. This position is 100% consistent with the desire of Putin and the Kremlin. Another common point, the Moscow opposition "sees no flaws in the Kremlin's national policy". This means that both Putin and Khodorkovsky want to preserve the Empire and continue to steal the resources of the colonies in order to obtain fabulous profits.

### Just like Putin, the Moscow opposition elite in the person of Khodorkovsky and the Navalny Foundation frighten the whole world saying that the collapse of Russia will lead to bloodshed and violence.

But at the same time they do not realize, in fact, the worst has already happened. What could happen worse than a war in Ukraine? What could be worse than what happened in Bucha, Irpen and Kramatorsk? What could be worse than the torture and burning of soldiers in Olenivka? What could be worse than a nuclear threat to the whole world coming from a single indivisible Russia?

No Russian Empire! Glory to Ukraine!

***Alga, Uralan***, free peoples of Adygea, Altai Republic, Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Oirat-Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Karelia, Komi Republic, Mari El, Mordovia, Sakha (Yakutia), North Ossetia - Alania, Tatarstan, Tuva, Udmurtia, Khakassia, Ichkeria, Chuvashia - Bulgaria.

Many other people would like to stand next to us, shoulder to shoulder, to say No to the Russian Empire. But the empire frightens and fetters people with fear

Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise

With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, a new impetus was given to national regional movements advocating separation from Moscow. Over the past year, six forums of the peoples of post-Russia have already taken place, new associations have been formed, and several militia groups of representatives of the Caucasian peoples are fighting on the side of Kyiv. At the same time, a number of analysts speak of a quite probable scenario for the collapse of Russia in the event of a turning point in the course of the war.

About the national movement in Kalmykia, the theses of the Kremlin propaganda, last year's wave of emigration and why the collapse of the empire is needed by the Russian correspondent Kavkaz.Realii spoke with Professor Maria Ochir-Goryaeva, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute and Honored Scientist of Kalmykia.

> In 1999, she won the competition and became a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and as a guest researcher continued her scientific research within the walls of the Eurasian Branch of the German Archaeological Institute. The first of four scientific monographs was published in German. Every year, the archaeologist returned to her homeland, conducting excavations in her native Kalmykia.

**Today in Russia it is customary to speak negatively about the support that Western non-profit organizations and scientific foundations provided in the 1990s to Russian scientists and the field of education in general. Like, through grants and training programs, they planted their values. Tell us about your experience and what such programs have given to Russian science.**

The rhetoric of Russian propaganda in general, and in this matter in particular, can only be called xenophobic. In the 1990s, when many state employees, including employees of the Russian Academy of Sciences, had not been paid  for months, grants allocated by Western foundations literally saved them. In addition to the material side, they demonstrated the significance of these specialists and their research. Only thanks to that support of Western and, later, Russian foundations, a number of scientists, including myself, remained in science.

As for "planting" one's own values, this is a distorted understanding of the purpose of such structures. Each foundation has its own goals and values; if they are scientific, then they remain so, regarding the fact that the West is imposing its own values. For example, I have been living in Berlin for 24 years and I know that here they don’t “implant” anything on anyone, but give them the opportunity to think and choose for themselves. Reality shows that people like freedom of speech and the opportunity to choose, it works: everyone is eager to live in democratic countries, and not in Iran, Afghanistan or Russia, from where they leave at the first opportunity.
Planting is carried out not by Western funds, but by the imperial approach of Moscow. The same Putin and his supporters who are unable to adapt to the ever-changing world and are trying by brute force to change the whole world to fit themselves, to fit it to their outdated stereotypes.

**Unfortunately, such inertia in thinking is demonstrated not only by the top of the country, but also by many Russians, including those who disagree with Putin.**

Agree. The wave of migrants from Russia, regardless of nationality, is no different from the population that remained there, in Russia. Just like there, only a small percentage of them are active. They organize protests and various events. At the same time, many of them are very afraid for themselves, so they put masks on their faces and hide their names. The rest are either simply indifferent or support Putin. Many have moved simply to maintain their level of well-being and continue to travel around the world. Of course, these are mostly Muscovites with a good income. That is, migrants here fully reflect society in Russia.

Two things disappoint me about migrants from Russia. First, few of them follow the news from the front and worry about the Ukrainians. Feelings of shame and guilt seem to be unfamiliar to them. So it turns out that in their conversations there is no topic of this at all. When I say something about the bombings or the front, they immediately say, we do not follow this and turn the conversation to something else.

![Maria Ochir. Anti-war rally in Berlin](/images/posts/maria_berlin.jpg)
<p class="text-sm">Maria Ochir-Goryaeva (left) at an anti-war rally in Berlin</p>

Secondly, this is xenophobia. Walking through the streets of Berlin, I have already heard more than once from Russian-speaking people who are indignant, and why the Germans tolerate that Muslims walk around in their headscarves, etc. . Another fact, my friends asked me to help them find an apartment in Berlin, but only in the area where they don’t live, as they said “blacks”, meaning the local residents of Arabs and Turks. They said even if it would be several hundred euros more expensive. As an Asian, this shocked me.
 
Therefore, unfortunately, many here do not assimilate the moral values of democracy and tolerance. They are simply transporting Russia with all its stereotypes and ideology to Berlin. Russians, with rare exceptions, are unable to understand the logic and value of democracy. Otherwise, neither Putin, nor these decades of trampling on freedoms in Russia, nor a terrible war would have happened.

**At the same time, Putin and his entourage say that the West is trying to rewrite and distort history.**

Frankly, I think it's too much honor to comment on propaganda. From the school curriculum, everyone knows that in the early Middle Ages there was a state of Kievan Rus, the center of which was the city of Kyiv, that is, the territory of modern Ukraine. Then, three or four centuries later, the Muscovite Principality was formed, gathering land around Moscow. This name was the most accurate and reflects the essence of both the territory and its population. Theoretically, it could be called Muscovite Rus'. After the conquest of the peoples in the north and east, south and west, it would be more correct to call this formation the Muscovite Empire. This state has its own history and traditions, like any other. The cities of the Golden Ring alone are worth something. There is no need to neglect so much, not to value your Moscow-Russian identity, your own statehood. We must study, preserve and be proud of the rich history of Muscovy.

Until a certain time, the Muscovites did not seek to ascribe Kievan Rus to their history. This happened later after Peter I declared himself emperor. Then there was a temptation to occupy not only the territory, but also the past of a foreign state.

Most of the space of modern Russia - lands forcibly attached to the Moscow principality and kingdom: the Volga region, Siberia, the Far East, the North Caucasus, they have nothing to do with Kievan Rus. These are the empire's colonies. So it is the inhabitants of the Kremlin who are engaged in the distortion of history for the sake of political ambitions and propaganda.

**In 2022, representatives of national movements from different republics condemned the war and emphasized that this conflict was not in the interests of the country's small peoples. There were sporadic demonstrations in Kalmykia, but there was no mass protest here. Was this reaction expected?**

Attitudes towards the war in Kalmykia, according to my data, are similar to the average Russian sample. Why should it be otherwise? If the empire has been pursuing a policy of Russification and unification for centuries, leveling national differences? There are critically thinking people in every republic, as well as regions, territories, but they are few. And almost all of them, especially actively in 2022, left the country.

It is clear that if the Oirats in the distant past had reached the shores of the Atlantic and stayed here, they would probably have been part of a democratic Europe. But since our ancestors founded their Khanate of Torgud on the banks of the Idzhil-Idel-Edel-Volga River, they shared the fate of the other peoples of the evil empire.

One can talk for a long time about the pros and cons of the arrival of the Oirats in Europe, the foundation of their khanate, the departure to Dzungaria, the peasant colonization of the lands of the khanate, the civil war ... But history, as you know, does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. And the Kalmyks have to live in those conditions, and, therefore, to be a cross section of the society in which they live today.

**In general, how realistic are the hopes for the independence of Kalmykia today. What will it depend on? Are the Kalmyks themselves ready for this?**

Independence is not only real, it is long overdue. This is a necessity. Leveling processes are always taking place within the framework of large states, therefore all regions of Russia, not only the republics, but also the territories, regions, must become independent, and then function like the European Union. This means that everyone has their own state, orders and administration, but in common issues - for example, environmental protection, future projects, such as artificial intelligence - to act together. And it's not about the size and number of the population. Montenegro, for example, in terms of territory is 5 times smaller than Kalmykia, a third of the territory is occupied by mountains, the population is 600-odd thousand, and neither Serbs nor Montenegrins make up the majority of the population. Since 2006 they have become a sovereign state, in 2008 they joined the EU.

And this is important for all the peoples in Russia, including Russians. After all, the interests and problems of Russians living in Siberia or the Far East are clearly different from the interests and problems of Muscovites. Moscow is currently ripping off all regions, not just national republics. Therefore, the Kremlin has so much money to wage a large-scale war and seize foreign lands, such as Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Crimea, Donbass. And if the money of the regions remained in the regions, then Moscow would not have such huge resources, and people in the Russian outback would live much better. All sectors of society suffer from this centralized system. The same regional governors who are 100% dependent on Moscow, this also humiliates them. They turn out to be puppets in the hands of the Kremlin.

As for the national republics, they are constitutionally considered subjects of the federation, but in reality they are colonies. Moscow not only robs them, just like the regions, but also pursues an openly colonial policy. For example, it redraws the borders, selecting the best lands. For example, the lands of the Buryats were divided into three administrative regions. Two districts were taken away from Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region was created from them. As a result, Kalmykia lost the entire coast of the lower reaches of the Idzhil-Volga River, only one village has access to the river. And industrial facilities are built anywhere, but not in the national republics. Accordingly, the economy of the republics is not developed, there are no jobs, specialists are leaving, the population is overburdened. I will give a few examples from those that I encountered as an archaeologist leading rescue excavations. In 2008, it was planned to build a gas processing plant in the village. Artesian. All research and development work was carried out: ecologists, biologists, signalmen and archaeologists conducted a survey and prepared all the documents. The project was closed. And a couple of years later they built it in the Astrakhan region. The project for the construction of the Iki-Burulsky water conduit from the Levokumsky reservoir was imposed from Moscow in order to increase the republic's dependence from outside and force the Stavropol Territory to pay for water. Although it was easier for the republic to stretch a branch from its village of Tsagan-aman and pump water for free from the river. Idzhil-Volga. For those big ones spent on the Levokumsky water conduit, it was even possible to develop a deep-well extraction of fresh water from a huge underground reservoir in the village of Gojur, located in the very center of the republic. The Tengiz-Novorossiysk oil pipeline is the longest in Kalmykia, but the Krasnodar Territory receives the rent money. And that's millions of dollars a year. People from the government complained that they could not change the terms of the contract, they went, went to Moscow, but they were adamant there. How can it be called? Robbery in broad daylight. The list goes on...

The population of Kalmykia, as well as the entire population of Russia, does not understand that Moscow is robbing them. Therefore, as elsewhere, there are different opinions. Not everyone sees the economic side, but, true, everyone sees that total Russification leads to the loss of language, identity, and traditional culture. Everyone sees this. I have never met a Kalmyk, either in Kalmykia or abroad, who did not want to develop his own Kalmyk.

I remember that in 1991, not all the population of Kazakhstan, Ukraine and other republics were for independence, and now all these peoples have appreciated their sovereignty, and Ukrainians are giving their lives to live without the dictates of Moscow. So it is not necessary that all polls in the republic were of the same opinion.

**In your opinion, why did the population of the republics, not only Kalmykia, but also others, so easily renounce the institutions of sovereignty and even independence obtained in the early 1990s?**

Easily retreated - you said it well! And what about two terrible wars against independent Chechnya? Kalmykia is close to Chechnya, we have not yet forgotten how not only people fled from the war to us, but even wolves and feral dogs. Seeing and hearing this, who would expose their people to such a risk? And how did they twist Tatarstan's arms? President Mintemir Shaimiev Putin and the KGB officer were not allowed out of his office for four days until they signed everything they needed. And here, in Kalmykia, back in Soviet times, what happened to Gorodovikov? (Basan Gorodovikov - Soviet military leader and statesman, in 1961-1978 the first secretary of the Kalmyk Regional Committee of the CPSU, under him Kalmykia achieved significant success - Note Ed.) He, an old general, a hero of the USSR, was taken out of the congress meeting room by the arms of the KGB officers The CPSU was immediately removed from his post, because he dared to hint at the return of the two selected regions. That is why after him, until 1990, only envoys from Moscow were the first person in the republic.

During archaeological expeditions, I traveled all over Kalmykia, the most remote settlements, my heart bleeds to see in what conditions and how ordinary people live in my homeland. The desire for independence among the conscious part of our people has never faded away.

Returning to your question, the curtailment of the independence of the subjects took place against the backdrop of two Chechen wars, all this happened very close. Moscow forcibly and harshly revived the imperial approach, any protest was severely suppressed. Nobody wanted a second deportation, to end up in Siberia again, so the Kalmyks actually had no choice.

**Practically in all socio-economic ratings, Kalmykia occupies the last places among Russian regions. So it was under Ilyumzhinov, and under Orlov, and under Khasikov. In your opinion, why did none of the heads of the republic manage to achieve a breakthrough in its development? Could they do it?**

Because colonial policy has never stopped, it is by definition impossible to make a breakthrough under such conditions. A colony is a colony, and construction, infrastructure, and the social sphere in it will be worse than in the metropolis. On its territory, only resources and specialists are being pumped out, total Russification is being carried out in all areas - from the language to the rewritten history. This is also imperial policy, when peoples are not allowed to study their own past, imposing only that interpretation of it that is beneficial to Moscow.

By the way, the regional elites are also well aware of this. Governors and heads of republics are forced to go to Moscow to bow, begging for money, which they themselves send in the form of taxes to the federal center. So the question of disintegration is ripe not only below, in the minds of the activists of national movements, but also among the local elites. It is also necessary for the Russian outback to understand that Moscow takes advantage of their political naivety and forces them to live in unworthy poverty. The consequences of the war with Ukraine may just be the match that will ignite this inevitable process.

![Maria Ochir. Anti-war rally in Berlin](/images/posts/maria_kalmykia.jpg)
<p class="text-sm">Maria Ochir-Goryaeva (left) at the archaeological site of a Bronze Age settlement with colleagues from the Protection of Monuments Center from Schleswig Holstein (Germany). 2012</p>

**There is an opinion that Russian society massively supports this war. In your opinion, as a person from the outside - is it so? What should and can be done to open the eyes of the supporters of the aggressive policy of the Kremlin?**

Of course, they provide massive support – people need to survive somehow, this is a top priority. Everything is decided by the state system and what values it promotes. During the Third Reich, the Germans massively supported the war. But when the system changed, the same people became democratic and repeat like a mantra "Nazis will never be repeated forever and ever." The same change can happen to Russian society, for this it is necessary that the system change. And the people in the masses easily change their minds and habits. I'll give you an example. For 8 years I have been excavating on the border of Kalmykia and the Rostov region, and dug two fortresses from the era of the Khazar Khaganate. They lived for months in a small village, where the entire population is Russian. Local men were taken to the excavations. And they don't just swear there, they practically talk obscenities. But I forbade them all to swear at the excavation site and make jokes on gender topics, otherwise I will kick them out of the excavation site without a daily salary. And they worked for me for months, all day long and did not swear. I'll say more. In this village, they are all nationalists to one degree or another, in the sense that they do not like Kalmyks. But since I treated them with respect and paid my salary every evening, they treated me and all the employees very cordially, although we were all Kalmyks. That is, the people are everywhere, even Russian, even German, they are masters of survival. So I don't think it's necessary to convince them verbally. The conditions will change, the people themselves will figure out how beneficial it is for them. There is no need to condemn the people, we must love them and create conditions for a decent life, regardless of nationality.





Independence is not only real, it is long overdue. This is a necessity. This is important for all the peoples in Russia, including Russians.

Independence is a necessity: a historian from Kalmykia about the future of the republic

On Monday, July 17, representatives of the Kalmyk diaspora in New York City came to a rally against the Russian Empire as part of the beginning of the Captive Nations Week. The Oirat-Kalmyks have been held captive by Russia for 253 years. In 1771, as a result of the policy of the Empire - colonization, trade embargo and the exclusion of the Kalmyk Khanate's territories - most of the Oirat-Kalmyks, not wanting to submit to the power of Moscow and be cannon fodder for its conquest aspirations, migrated to Dzungaria - another Oirat state that was deserted after the war with China. Those who remained on the Volga lost their freedom and independence, becoming subjects of Russia, and the territory of the steppe - an acquired colony.

No one put the situation more succinctly than Tsebek-Dorji tayishi, who addressed the zargo as follows:

"Look how your rights are being limited in all respects. Russian officials mistreat you and the government wants to make peasant out of you. The banks of the Yayik and Volga are now covered with cossack settlements, and the northern borders of your steppes are inhabited by Germans. In a little while, the Don, Terek and Kuma will also be colonized and you will be pushed to the waterless steppes and the only source of your existence, your herds, will perish. Ubashi's son has already been ordered given as hostage, and three hundred from among the noble Kalmyks are to reside in the Russian capital. You can now see your situation, and in the future you will have two options - either to carry the burden of slavery, or to leave Russia and thus to end all your misfortunes. Dalai Lama himself selected two years in which migration to Jungaria could be undertaken. These two years have arrived. So your present decision will determine your future."

![Kalmyks United Nations](/images/posts/captive_nations_02_2023.jpg)


The Oirat-Kalmyks have been held captive by Russia for 253 years.

Kalmyk diaspora in New York took to the rally against the Russian Empire

The steppes of our Kalmyk Republic occupy the right bank of the Volga River downstream to the banks of the Manych and Kuma, which separate the Volga’s right bank from the Stavropol uplands. The territory is not insignificant - 75.9 thousand square km.  It is almost twice as much as the territory of Denmark or Holland and a little less than Austria.  On the territory of Kalmykia there are three geographic landscape zones - the Yergenini highlands, the Kumo-Manych depression and the Caspian lowlands. 
 
Lushly blooming steppes are beautiful in spring but incessant dry winds in summer often turn blooming steppe into a standing herbarium - a collection of dried and semi-dried herbs, by the mid-summer. It's as if nature herself takes care of preserving the cattles’ winter fodder, the most natural and beneficial "hay". In spring, all small lakes on the steppe fill up with water, the songs and sounds of birds fill the air, the wind ruffles with green stalks of grassy reeds. But during the long, hot summer the small lakes dry out, the shallows turn shallower and large lakes turn into wet marshes. In autumn, birds migrate with  their young. All that remains are the tall reeds that have grown over the summer, the wind rustling through their tops and there is a lull below. Here you can shelter flocks of sheep in bad weather. Cows graze willingly here, picking out the still green parts of the young reeds. Dry reeds are an excellent fuel during the cold winter, and their bundles can also be used to reinforce and insulate felt yurts - the homes of the "eternal traveler" nomads. 

Cold piercing winds are as relentless in winter as are the hot dry winds in summer.   It is they that steal the heat out of our homes, it is they that turn mild frost into piercing frost, it is they that sweep away and scatter rare and scarce snow, leaving the bare steppe covered with dry grass. Only shepherds rejoice in this harsh wind, grazing their bountiful flocks of sheep on the snowless, wind-blown plains. They know that the most important thing for them is to safeguard their cattle and not let them get weak or die of starvation during the long winter. And for that they need grazing weather like the air they breathe, so that every day the cattle can re-nourish themselves with the very dry grass which nature herself has prepared since summer.
These features of climate and relief have at all times attracted nomads here - the ability to keep cattle on pasture all winter and the abundance of convenient places for winter camps on the shores of the steppe lakes. 
 
It is by no accident that in the early years of their arrival on the Volga River in the 17th century, the Oirat tribes made every effort to occupy the right bank of the river.  And even in the years when this territory was still controlled by the Nogais, despite the danger of bloody confrontation, some Kalmyk Khoton moved to the right bank for wintering. The risk was justified as they had a better chance of preserving their livestock there. The Ryn-Peski tract between the Volga and the Ural rivers was also used by the Oirat as winter pasture. There, the area was not covered by snow in winter, but it was much smaller and less grassy in the spring and autumn. The latter was very important, as the cattle weakened after the winter, needed new pastures which were not used during the winter before the new grass sprouted.  Therefore, the mountain side, or as the Kalmyks called it, the Crimean side of the Volga was of great value for the nomads.

It should be taken into account that winter pastures played a decisive role for nomads.  There were special requirements for winter nomads. Winter is dangerous for nomadic economy because of scarce vegetation, hungry wolf packs, blizzards and freezing temperatures.  No matter how bad the summer pastures are, the cattle do not die of starvation in summer. Unwise choice of winter pasture could lead to total loss of livestock.  Therefore, winter pastures were allocated particularly carefully and their boundaries were strictly observed. Winter pastures were also perceived by the nomads themselves as something stable and more native than summer pastures. The old Kalmyks always wished they would die on a winter pasture: "Uvzgdnyan kurch ukhlya-bolkh (the main thing is to die when you get to the winter pasture)" they used to say. Having survived the winter they greeted each other at the main feast of the year, the spring Tsagan Sar, with a traditional exclamation: "Was the winter well spent! (Uvlyas syayahn mend garuta!)". In ancient times it was not a rhetorical question.  

Nowadays, the inhabitants of modern cities and villages often complain about the peculiarities of our climate and landscape without suspecting that they attracted our ancestors, the nomadic Oirat, to the lower reaches of the Volga.

Lushly blooming steppes are beautiful in spring but incessant dry winds in summer often turn blooming steppe into a standing herbariums

Learn the Steppe through Me and Learn Me through the Steppe (J. Nasunov)

I am sure that the authorities of Moscow and the Moscow region, not without the complicity of the authorities of the Russian Federation, are trying to refute accusations of disproportionate mobilization of residents of disadvantaged depressed regions, including national Republics and the non-Russian population of “Russian” regions. To do this, the authorities are actively replenishing and forming the so-called Moscow military units and sending them into the meat grinder of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

This case was not without forgery and hypocrisy, as is customary in Russia. The fact is that these units are largely staffed from representatives of the Central Asian states (Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Uzbeks), various national Republics (Tatars, Dagestanis, Kalmyks, Chuvashs and others) and regions of the Russian Federation living and working in the metropolitan macro-region. They are often detained under various pretexts and forced into various forms of military service. Statistically, it turns out that the mobilized are residents of the capital and the region, but in reality, you yourself understand...

In addition, the Moscow authorities are solving another problem: reducing the number of non-Russians, incl. Muslims in Moscow and the Moscow region. Their authorities apparently see the non-Russians living there as a threat to public order in the face of Russia's gradual slide into collapse and anarchy.

The rights of Muslims in Moscow and the Moscow region are constantly grossly violated by law enforcement officers. Illegal actions of the police and the FSB, the prosecutor's office and the Investigative Committee standing behind it, regular police raids in mosques and prayer houses, incl. during prayers, are clearly racist and xenophobic in nature. Yesterday, a peaceful and "unauthorized" reaction to many years of arbitrariness and violence was the march of Muslims of various nationalities. After the Friday prayers at the Moscow historical mosque on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street, the participants of the procession marched through the streets of Moscow, chanting "Allahu Akbar".

Forced mobilization of ethnic Non-Russian people is being conducted in many Russian cities.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Forced mobilization of ethnic minorities in Blagoveshchensk, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/russia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#russia</a>. Reported by telegram channel Utro Dagestan (Утро Дагестан).<br>Kremlin&#39;s fascist regime will send them as cannon fodder to Ukraine to murder Ukrainian civilians. <a href="https://t.co/1iFx7Mq7kO">pic.twitter.com/1iFx7Mq7kO</a></p>&mdash; Anastasiya1451 (@Anastasiya1451A) <a href="https://twitter.com/Anastasiya1451A/status/1684114906004553729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


The military units are largely staffed by representatives of the Central Asian countries, national Republics and regions of the RF living and working in the Moscow region

Moscow is trying to refute accusations of sending non-Russians to a meat grinder


*Happiness and peace this country has tasted.*

*Jangar, Oirat-Kalmyk Epic*

In April 2007, on my initiative (organizer and moderator), four round tables were held in the editorial office of "Khalmg Yunn" with the participation of the general public of Kalmykia. These were representatives of science, culture, veterans, students, heads of organizations, etc., over 60 people in total. All speeches were published in the national newspaper, the main topic was the preparation for the so-called "400th anniversary of the voluntary accession of the Kalmyk people to the Russian state". The result was the decision to hold the Congress of the intelligentsia of Kalmykia, which was originally conceived. A letter requesting support for this public initiative was sent to the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia, but the authorities were afraid of an open conversation with the people at a nationwide forum....

The story, however, was continued in the form of the article "KALMYKIA TOMORROW", which I wrote at the same time and later published in social networks. A lot of water has passed since then, but the questions remain. Unfortunately, for decades our republic has been ranked last in all the most important socio-economic indicators among all Russian regions. There are reasons for this, which should be the subject of a separate conversation, but now we are talking about something else. It is obvious that our plight suits the federal center and official authorities and we will have to wait for something good from them until, as our wise ancestors used to say, "the frog grows wool".

A new course is vital for the progressive development of the Republic, so I consider it my duty to "return to our sheep" and once again share with my fellow countrymen the thoughts aloud concerning the future of our people and our Republic. This is relevant, given the global processes that are taking place in the world today. Of course, no one can claim to be the truth in the last instance, but on the eve of the coming epochal events, it is high time for us to think once again about the bright Tomorrow.

There are several options for the development of our Republic, including independence, which, in my opinion, is possible in the form of creating a secular, democratic state, the Oirat-Mongol Republic. 
Why independence? Any nation can fully realize its full potential and reach the highest phase in its historical development only within the framework of a nation-state. That is why the first article of the UN Charter declares the right of every nation to self-determination and development and we are obliged to take advantage of this right and unique historical chance. 

Why Oirat-Mongolian Republic? Every nation, including us, the Oirats - the Western Mongols - relies on its own history, and for us it goes back into the darkness of centuries, it is mentioned in the first pan-Mongolian literary monument, “The Secret History of the Mongols.”

Три фактора в пользу «монгольского вектора»: 

1. **Preservation of ethnicity and territory.** Our people are faced with an acute demographic problem: the Concept of demographic development of the Republic of Kalmykia for the period until 2015 (Order of the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia dated July 3, 2002 N 336-r) notes a reduction in the total population ; Now the situation is even worse. The solution could be the migration of our fellows from Mongolia (External and Internal), as well as from the XUAR (China). For the Mongolian world, having another independent country is a necessary and far-sighted step, but for us it is important that there are more than ten million Mongols on the planet and this gives our people the opportunity to survive as an ethnic group, as well as preserve their territory.

2. **Preservation of the native language.** From 2012 to 2019, I worked in the Public Council for the Development of the Kalmyk Language and I know that here, as well as in many other areas, the picture is sad. Just one fact: the majority of Kalmyk language teachers are people of retirement age; Moreover, we do not train teachers of our native language, because The Department of Methods of Teaching the Kalmyk Language has been closed at KSU for a long time. The university is funded by the federal budget, and Moscow, to put it bluntly, doesn’t care about our problems. The issue could be resolved by opening a department (several jobs!) at the expense of the republican budget, but alas! - things are still there. In a situation where our youth and children, as well as middle-aged people, hardly speak their native language, we need to rely on the Mongolian language, science and culture. We have common historical roots, the same blood, the same faith, and the basis of our languages is also the same. The national script “Todo Bichig” also originates from the common Mongolian “Khuudm Bichg”. Russian, English, Chinese, Ukrainian will be working languages: we are open to the world.

3. **Economic development.** In order to occupy our niche in the world economy as quickly as possible, we can and must, first of all, rely on the dynamically developing economy of Mongolia and Buddhist countries. Taking into account modern technologies and communications, many projects in the field of economics, culture, education, sports, etc., will allow our people to closely communicate and be friends with the Mongolian (broader, Buddhist) world, stand firmly on their feet and look confidently into the future.

Thus, we have all the prerequisites to successfully resolve many serious issues; we have a ***picture of the future***. The main goal of an independent prosperous state is a qualitative improvement in the lives of our people. It is also very important that we be full owners of our home and leave our descendants a flourishing native land. World experience shows that the greatest economic success and high standard of living have been achieved by countries with developed democracies, where there is effective government and a strong civil society. Therefore, we have a path towards the West; there is simply no alternative. We are obliged to do this in the name of a happy life for future generations and fulfilling the cherished dream of our ancestors about the country of Bumbin Orn. Of course, in order for us to be on equal terms in international relations and for serious investments to come to us, our republic must be represented by handshaking people who, during serious trials, have shown themselves to be staunch supporters of peace, international laws and justice.

Today, our people have only one national socio-political organization - the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people, the leader of which was recently elected the well-known political figure Batyr Boromangnayev. Over many years of tireless work, he showed himself to be an ideological fighter for democratic values and national interests. The Congress has international connections and close contacts with the national liberation movements of peoples held captive by Russian Federation, and, importantly, with government bodies and socio-political organizations of Ukraine. For its open anti-war position and defending violated national rights, the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People was included in the list of extremist organizations by the Russian Ministry of Justice. This indicates that the Congress is really doing the real thing and can be the core of the entire national-patriotic movement in Kalmykia. We vitally need the consolidation of all the groups of our people, and the first step in this direction will be the preparation and holding of the World Oirat-Mongolian Congress. At this major international forum with the wide participation of representatives of our fellow people from many countries of the world, the most pressing issues in the life of our people will be considered and the DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF THE OIRAT-MONGOLIAN REPUBLIC, which includes three main directions, will be presented:

**I. Political program.**

**II. Economic program.**

**III. Creation of the Government of People's Trust of the Oirat-Mongol Republic.**
 
**I.** The political program defines the Oirat-Mongolian Republic as an independent secular democratic state of a parliamentary type, lays the foundations for the functioning of the state system, including self-defense forces, security agencies, internal affairs, prosecutors, customs, etc., as well as democratic institutions (independent parliament, court, media, two-party system, free elections, etc.).

**II.** The economic program provides that the economy of the Oirat-Mongol Republic will be multi-structured, market-based, with minimal government intervention in the activities of economic entities, with indicative planning, maximum protection of property rights, with diversity and equality of forms of ownership, and freedom of entrepreneurial activity. Among the most important, this program provides for the effective implementation of the following tasks:

1. Mass implementation of modern technologies in agricultural production; state support in financing and marketing of agricultural products, creation of effective cooperation among farmers.

2. Industry. Creation of modern enterprises for the production of microelectronics (chips), solar batteries, etc. – branches of Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean companies. As an example, the Elista hardware-electronic plant “Odn” (Zvezda) even in Soviet times had millions of US dollars in its accounts. Creation of companies for the extraction and development of local raw materials: limestone, clay, sand, clay gypsum, rare earth metals (scandium, yttrium), phosphorus, phosphates, etc.

3. Electric power industry: Building of an independent energy system based on modern technologies;

4. Water: Commissioning of a water canal from the Volga in the area of Tsagan-Aman, development of local water sources (ponds, artesians, springs, etc.).

5. Oil and gas: State regulation of exploration, development, production and transportation of oil and gas, replenishment of the republic’s budget from these areas in accordance with international standards, as well as processing of oil and gas products in the republic itself.

6. Transportation: Maximum arrangement of highways in the directions of Astrakhan, Volgograd, Stavropol, Rostov-on-Don; construction of international port on the Caspian Sea and Volga.

7. Ecology: Cooperation with the world's leading scientific organizations, foundations and companies in the field of combating desertification.

**III.** Holding open elections to the representative bodies of the new independent state of the Oirat-Mongol Republic is possible only after a transition period (3 - 5 years) and the creation of the necessary conditions for the real functioning of democratic institutions. During the transition period, all power functions should be in the hands of the Government of People's Trust of the Oirat-Mongol Republic, formed by delegates of the World Oirat-Mongol Congress.

The World Oirat-Mongol Congress is being held in New York City (USA) in September, 2024. A lot of organizational work will be required, however, there is no doubt that our people will find the strength and will to determine their own destiny. The main thing is to firmly follow the intended course. As the great leader of all the Mongols said: “If you are afraid, don’t do it; if you do, don’t be afraid.”

Why independence? Any nation can fully realize its full potential and reach the highest phase in its historical development only within the framework of a nation-state.

BRIGHT TOMORROW - OIRAT-MONGOL REPUBLIC

On October 13, 2024, members of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People held a picket in New York in front of the UN headquarters in support of the Oirat-Kalmyk prisoner of conscience and political prisoner Altan Ochirov.

![Kalmyks United Nations](/images/posts/signal-2024-10-14-223026_002.jpeg)


Members of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People held a picket in New York in front of the UN headquarters in support of the Oirat-Kalmyk prisoner of conscience and political prisoner Altan Ochirov.

Picket in support of prisoner of conscience and political prisoner Altan Ochirov in New York City

Among the nomadic Oirat-Kalmyks, who practice Buddhism, a woman's social status was  linked to her age, from times of yore. Three cycles stand out clearly in a woman's life: the first is as a young girl in her immediate family; the second is as a married woman in her husband's family; and the third is as the matriarch of the entire bloodline.

Transitioning from one cycle to another would be signified by a change of her traditional clothing and headwear.  There are three types of traditional female outfits still known to play a symbolic role amongst the Oirat-Kalmyks: that of an unmarried girl’s, a married woman’s and an elderly grandmother’s.

![Kalmyk Girl](/images/posts/kalmyk_girl_2.png)

According to the Oirats’ traditional beliefs: a girl was considered a pure being, a temporary guest in her parents' house. Girls were typically given away in marriage early - at the age of twelve to fourteen. Therefore, they were considered a guest in their parents' house who would soon depart their immediate relatives forever. This premise determines the whole attitude towards the daughter. Girls were not burdened with heavy work and were more engaged in sewing and embroidery, etc. If possible, parents would pamper and dress them in more ornate and luxurious clothing.  The girls had to braid their hair into one braid and wear it slung onto their backs and wear one earring in their right ear. The color of the fabric for girls' dresses was chosen in light shades of blue or green, where possible. If the fabric was patterned, it would be simple and not too bright. The girl, as a heavenly pure being, is not to excite the senses with various shapes and colors. That is, spirituality and purity were emphasized in every possible way.

![Kalmyk Woman](/images/posts/kalmyk_woman_2.jpg)

When a girl got married, according to Kalmyk tradition, there would be a radical change of status. She essentially stops being a member of her immediate family and becomes a member of the husband’s family. So, when a bride is taken out of her parents’ home, they are obliged to perform the ritual "daalkh avlhon (taking the life force)", which similarly occurs when a deceased member is carried out of the home so that "happiness, the life force of the family" does not evaporate with the newly departed girl. Then, arriving at her in-laws home, she is given a new name, redressed as a married woman and her maiden jewelry is replaced with two earrings.  At the wedding, a special ritual also takes place which involves splitting the single braid into two.

![Kalmyk Woman](/images/posts/kalmyk_woman_3.jpg)

A married woman's costume was very ornate, often embroidered with gold and silver. The color for the dress (terlik) and the cape (tsegdg) would have bright colors, the most popular being various shades of red. Red represents the color of blood, love and life and is meant to emphasize the main function of a married woman - the giving of new life. The status of a married woman was associated with many restrictions on her behavior with her husband's relatives as well as with strangers and/or guests. For example, she would not be allowed to approach the Buddhist altar in her own yurt or sit on the male side of the room where that was considered a place for honored guests and elder relatives to sit. These restrictions reflect the protracted process of inclusion of "strangers" into the circle of blood relatives, as well as measures to prevent extramarital relationships.

![Kalmyk Woman](/images/posts/kalmyk_family_02.jpg)

A third transformation takes place when a Kalmyk woman completes her childbearing years and becomes a grandmother. Elderly women were obliged to wear an outfit, that essentially resembles a man's outfit. The headwear was made of black or gray karakul with a red tassel. The dress-berz, devoid of embroidered ornaments, was the same as a man's beshmet, only worn long down to the ankles and sewn from dark blue or dark brown single-tone fabric. Earrings would be made of silver, but without a gemstone . The elderly woman would be held in high regard and with a privileged status. Like elderly men, she is seated in a place of honor during visits by others, she smokes her pipe and her advice is listened to.  There are also cases when an elderly mother becomes the ruler of an entire clan. I believe that this acknowledges the woman's merits as the founder of the family and because her blood runs in the veins of all her children and grandchildren, she is finally accepted into the circle of the relatives.

![Kalmyk Woman](/images/posts/kalmyk_family_01.png)


Among the nomadic Oirat-Kalmyks, who practice Buddhism, a woman's social status was  linked to her age, from times of yore.

Three Lives of a Woman in Traditional Kalmyk Culture


Vladimir Dovdanov, deputy of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people, spoke on the question, about when the captive peoples in Russia would be ready to conduct a large-scale uprising against the imperial regime.

**— Against the background of what is happening in the Belgorod region, are the captive peoples of Russia ready for an uprising, in particular, the Oirat-Kalmyk people?**

— Our Oirat-Kalmyk people have been under the occupation of the Russian Empire (hereinafter, you can use different combinations of words that characterize the essence of this state) for 253 years, which has destroyed almost the entire gene pool of our nation. In the 20th century, the Russians (Soviet Union) nearly destroyed us twice by genocide. Our people were deported and the republic was annulled. Even later, when the Russians, who do not admit their mistakes (Russians will never admit their mistakes), returned it back, they did not return all the lands to us, did not pay offer compensation and did not repent.

Therefore, talking about an uprising right now is premature. We need to prepare, which is what we are doing. Like other captive nations in Russia, such as the Buryats, Sakha-Yakuts, Ingush, Chechens, Dagestan peoples, Circassians and other peoples who aim to develop their own armed forces and train them in Ukraine and the West. And, without a doubt, they would take part in liberating Ukraine, and then, in their own republics and regions. This is what we are doing at the moment.

**— Western communication channels?**

— Frankly, the West, unfortunately, is not yet ready to support the aims  of the oppressed and captive peoples towards  freedom and independence. In the West, for some reason, they believe that it’s necessary to preserve the centralized Russian state, replace Putin’s regime with “good” Russians, after which everything will stabilize. But history has already proven itself. The West gave several chances to the Russian state to become a natural democratic country, and each time this country returned to dictatorship. This has been well tested on ourselves and other captive peoples who have gone through genocide, deportation, ethnocide, linguicide, environmental assimilation and destruction. Therefore, the Oirat-Kalmyk people need freedom and independence, like oxygen. It is key for all peoples if they want to preserve their nation, identity, history, culture, traditions, customs and national language. That is why we propose to change the agenda in the West to show them that their visions, judgements and opinions are wrong about -  keeping the Russian empire as a centralized state. And the West must finally understand that even on economic terms, it is much more beneficial to deal with the real owners of the natural resources and energy, etc., by bypassing Russian intermediaries.

Western countries may not fully understand that there is one resource that they should be  using in the fight against the Russian empire - the desire of captive peoples for freedom and independence. After all, very little time will pass and the “good” Russians will become bad. Then your and our children and grandchildren will fight again with the revived Russian empire. The entire world’s experience with them is blatantly obvious. This is completely unacceptable!

**— What steps have to be taken in order for Russia to disintegrate? Distribute weapons to all captive peoples?**

— First, you need an understanding of the scope of Ukraine. Yes, it supports us. However, it is necessary to build a coordination center of representatives of captive peoples and the training of armed forces on the territory of Ukraine and Western countries, where, with the help of Ukrainian and Western instructors, the future Self-Defense Forces of independent states would be trained. They would be trained using international methods and instructions of war. We absolutely need this, because in the future we will face all sorts of leaders of the Russian world, the Girkins and other imperialists, who will shout at every corner about the revival of the former greatness of the Russian people and the return of the empire.

This is a huge threat to the future of all mankind.

Naturally, we need the Western world and above all, Ukrainian leadership to understand the situation  as well as looking at  ways to finance all of this work. You can't do anything without it. Unfortunately, we don't have it.

Every nation in Russia has volunteers, who do not support this war and are ready to defend Ukraine. Imagine if the volunteers of all the oppressed and captive peoples, units from battalions to brigades are trained and formed, then the situation, both in Ukraine and in the Russian empire itself, would change dramatically.. Together, joined with the armed forces of Ukraine, they would take part in the opening of this country, and it would be stupid to not take this opportunity.

Today, captive peoples do understand that peaceful protests alone cannot change the existing system in the empire and that the armed resistance of the oppressed peoples is the only effective method to bring about the collapse of the Russian state.

Participation of these national militias in the war in Ukraine, and on the territory of the empire itself, would lend itself to demilitarize and decolonize the empire itself, but the main thing will be to achieve freedom and create our own independent national and regional democracies.

If we create such armed formations, then together with the Ukrainian army, the best in the world, we will be able to curb the monster that is now waging a criminal war in Ukraine. Thus, the whole world will win, and first of all Ukraine.

**— What should be done first of all to destroy Russia?**

— First of all, there is a need for the government of Ukraine and Western countries to recognize the national liberation movements that have united in the League of Free Nations, at the Forum of Free Peoples of Post-Russia and on other platforms. This would open up funding for the creation of national power structures of future independent states, their armed formations and help the republics at the initial stage. Of course, such steps would only hasten the collapse of the Russian state. And of course, representatives of the national liberation movements would not be separatists and extremists in the eyes of the world community.

Some of the representatives of our people were drawn into the war with Ukraine, and some gullible fellow tribesmen went to fight - about 400 people. Of these, according to unconfirmed reports, about 100 have already died. Finding out the exact numbers is problematic, as this is classified information. I note that during the war in Chechnya, we lost about 25 people, and in Afghanistan - 26 dead. In two wars, our losses were less than in one year of war in Ukraine. This is a tragedy for our people. Representatives of our people should not fight in the ranks of the aggressor's army. On the contrary, they should fight on the side of Ukraine. 

By the way, representatives of the Oirat-Kalmyk people are fighting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the independence of Ukraine, but there should be much more of them. Indeed, in the future they will have to liberate their Republic from Russian invaders and local “mankurts” and take part in the construction of their future state.

Today, our people cannot independently resist the Russian state. We don't have weapons. Our youth is not trained. When the war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, and in the fall, mobilization into the ranks of the Russian army, the majority of the male population left Russia, thus protesting against this war. More than 10 thousand Oirat-Kalmyks went abroad. At the same time, there are only 270 thousand of us in Russia. People do not want to fight because they understand that this is an unjust and predatory war. People for the most part understand who the real enemy is and who the true friend is. It is clear that this is not our war.

**— Are people disappointed in Putin's regime?**

— Certainly. In our republic, there are no manifestations of joy about the so-called NWO. Young protestors are constantly posting leaflets against the war and trying to tear down posters about conscription for contract service. After all, it is impossible to protest against the war in this repressive country in any other way.

In addition, the situation in the republic has deteriorated significantly - the economy is stagnant. In particular, stagnation in agriculture. There are no spare parts for foreign equipment. Oil and gas production is declining.

Mobilization is going badly - no one wants to fight. The military is paid little and often cheated and thrown onto the battlefield like cannon fodder. They are simply thrown into the furnace of war and they return home crippled or in plastic bags.

Also, during the war in Ukraine, crime has increased in our republic.

**— Have you taken the first steps to unite with other peoples for the collapse of Russia?**

— Yes, we are working closely in this direction in the Free Nations League. We take part in various forums, congresses, pickets and rallies. We are doing everything possible to stop the war in Ukraine. We are close friends with the leaders of the Bashkir, Buryat and other associations. We have a tough fight ahead of us, but we will win. Or rather, Ukraine will win, which means we will win and become independent.

**— How will the protests of the captive peoples in Russia begin?**

— The processes that are currently taking place in the Belgorod region will take place in many regions of Russia. This has happened more than once in world history, and this is an axiom of a collapsing empire.

When the Armed Forces of Ukraine, led by Valery Zaluzhny, who is the idol of billions of people around the world, completely defeat the Russians in Ukraine, liberate Crimea, take hundreds of thousands of soldiers prisoner, and Ukrainian propaganda, together with our propaganda of the captive peoples, will effectively resist Russian propaganda, then all this will help to awaken desire to protest. It must be admitted that the existing regime in Russia is conducting a grandiose experiment on duping the entire population of the country - propaganda is spewed around the clock. People are hoodwinked. They really perceive the war criminal Putin as the salvation of the world. When you ask these people what Russia and our people have to do with it, they answer that we cannot live without Russians. We'll die of hunger without them. At the same time, we have a lot of national wealth, which, with proper management, will allow our people to become self-sufficient.

In addition, there are quite a lot of humanitarian projects and programs in the world  that will allow you not to die of hunger. However, people do not believe this.
As a result, at the moment, families are having their own "civil" war. And this is the result of the work of Russian imperial propaganda. There is a split in society and in the future we will have a lot of work to do to overcome it.

After the victory of Ukraine and the collapse of the Russian empire, colossal reforms will have to be carried out in all areas of civil life. Which includes, having the future leadership of the independent Republic hand over the war criminals who supported and sent people to war, to the international community and Ukraine. Political and economic reforms, reforms of public consciousness, the return of the native language, the construction of the armed forces, judicial reform, the security of the future state, international activities, relations with neighbors and much more, all this lies ahead of us in the future and it will not be easy.

**— Can a civil war break out in Russia, and from which republics will the confrontation begin?**

— Every nation held captive by the Russians has claims to the Russian Empire. After all, everyone suffered losses as a result of the so-called friendship with the Russians.

It is not in vain that we want to create our own armed formations. Indeed, in our republic there is a layer of people, the so-called pseudo-elite, who will not support us under any circumstances. This is obvious if only by the fact that we are a threat to their existence. Corruption, theft from the budget, plunder of the earth's resources and many other criminal acts, the new government will put an end to all of this.

It is quite obvious that along with a number of basic reforms, it is necessary to carry out activities to “de-zombify” the local population. After all, during the existence of the Russian state, our people have turned into ‘the masses’. In this regard, we have a lot of work to do to make people feel like a people again.

As soon as the Armed Forces of Ukraine reach the borders of 1991, we will be ready to start a confrontation in the empire itself. The Russian state will find itself in a difficult situation, the defeat in the war with Ukraine, the defeat of the Russian army on the battlefields, the ideological breakdown of the great idea of "gathering" Russian lands. All this will be a heavy burden on the Russian people. The result will be protests in Ichkeria and many other national territories and possibly armed confrontations. Perhaps this will happen in our republic. The old always struggles with the new, the past with the future. Whether armed formations will be created in other republics is possible and most likely. Having such a bandit neighbor, you will inevitably arm yourself with a good club. But in the past history of the people, human logic suggests that it is impossible to trust the “good” Russians who will replace the Putin regime. However, we are purposefully working on this issue and I think that we will be able, with the help of the world community, to cope.

After all these events, our Congress will take responsibility for the construction of a new independent state. The help of the world community and humanitarian organizations will be needed. After all, the Russians will immediately stop financing our republic, and the population will need to be fed and paid salaries. We are preparing for this moment. We are preparing relevant projects and programs.

**— Are you ready for the revival of your republic and how should it begin?**

— Rather, we want to build a new independent state. The Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people is preparing treaties of friendship and cooperation with similar republics and regions. As soon as we declare our independence, and your Verkhovna Rada supports our independence, we will immediately conclude an agreement on friendship and cooperation in all areas with Ukraine. We assume that other Western countries will take our independence for granted and will join the countries that support us.

Congress does not object to paying its share of reparations to Ukraine. We understand that the ruling elite in the Republic imposed by the Russians on our people, popularly called the “mankurts”, dragged part of our people into this criminal war on the side of the empire. As a result, hundreds and thousands of towns and villages were destroyed in Ukraine. Millions of refugees fled their homes, hundreds of thousands died. We physically feel your pain. But the fact that you do not give up and are still winning - is an example for  the whole world of the highest courage, national pride and human dignity, motivates us  all  in resisting the Russian world. We are sure that we should follow your example and do the same.

We know one thing quite clearly - neither politically, nor economically, nor confessionally, and even more so mentally, we do not want to be on the same path as the Russian world!

The Russian empire, which has “rammed” almost all the captive peoples into the ground, must finally understand that there will be no return to the old!

It's time for Russians to realize the right of peoples to self-determination and independence!

The Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people will adequately represent its people, after gaining independence, on all world platforms! Russia is the past! Our future is with Ukraine!

And finally, to paraphrase the words of Eastern philosophers, I wanted to bring them here: “... Humanity is what makes nations the same. Heavenly is what makes Ukraine unique!”

Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!

[Source](https://i-ua.tv/world/81866-ojrat-kalmyki-gotovyatsya-k-raspadu-rossijskoj-federatsii-vladimir-dovdanov)


Today, captive peoples do understand that peaceful protests alone cannot change the existing system in the empire and that the armed resistance is the only effective method

An interview with Vladimir Dovdanov by Katerina Krasovska

The End of Empires

Many proposals have been made regarding ending Russian aggression in Ukraine. Many have offered off-ramps surrendering to Russia's and Putin's supposed need “to save face” thereby forging a frozen conflict. Ukraine has insisted that the only end of war reality is a return to January 2014 borders. Neither proposal is a solution in the long term. 

As long as Russia remains an empire, global security and Ukrainian sovereignty remain at issue.  Accepting the Ukrainian proposal means simply that the next Russian  aggression is temporarily postponed. People cannot live in constant fear.

Since the second phase of the war on February 24, 2022 at least three movements have evolved. The first was the Free Nations League, a coordinating body in Europe comprised of nations currently held captive within the Russian empire known as the Russian Federation. The second was an American association of nations within the Russian empire as well as several outside of it but within the sphere of continuous Russian pressure. And now these nations have agreed to join efforts with nations held captive or repressed by another evil empire, the Chinese People's Republic. 

“The end of evil empires” is the mantra of this joint effort. Looking back to a time during the Cold War when the United States in its wisdom with significant prodding by East European nations, passed legislation designating the third week of each July as a time to remember those nations that were a part of the Soviet Union or its satellites known as “Captive Nations”. Ultimately but not fully, this action prevailed. 

In July 2023 there will be a march in Washington from the Capital to the White House  displaying the flags of some twenty nations, currently suffering under Russian and Chinese oppression. The significance of this event lies predominantly in its creation. These are very different nations, entirely different cultures with little in common except for the desire to be free. 

Why should the United States pay any attention to this movement? The first reason is an obvious moral one. In this regard America has a role to play in view of its own history. 
However, even a cynic can find justification to support this cause.

Since World War II, a conscious effort has been made by the global democratic community to ensure global security. As the League of Nations faltered, the United Nations has ensued and persevered albeit not successfully on all fronts. Its purpose was multi-fold but its foremost goal was directed at global security. A monster, however, was forged, the UN Security Council. People throughout the world disparage the work of the UN and scoff at the waste of the UNSC. This is a lesson learned. 

However, the ridicule is misplaced or misapplied. I recently spoke with a representative of the Uyghur people who are being mercilessly and intentionally slaughtered by the Chinese in East Turkestan, known in China as  Xinjiang province. He laughed at the lack of efficacy by the UN. Rather, he suggested, the repressed nations should seek a dialogue with the United States, Congress and the White House. 

He is right and wrong. Freedom and global security need a champion, but the United States cannot do it alone. God knows we have our own problems. However, the United States must continue to lead the global community. It is easy to disparage international structures because so far in history they have proven to be feckless. However, international organizations and associations are the future. The Internet, the global economy, global environmental issues and poverty have proven that.

I refrain from domestic criticism because that merely evolves into bickering. I certainly wish that Ukrainians in America, Democrats or Republicans would wake up on a single issue. That issue is Ukraine and that issue ultimately mandates the end of the Russian empire. Let us widen our horizons and work towards the end of all evil empires. I certainly feel for the Uyghurs in China and pray that they feel for the plight of Ukrainians, suffering from Russian aggression. I try to stay away from John Lennon, but in this instance, the phrase “The world will be one,” resonates. But, John, there must be nations and religions because people need both. Imagine if there were no empires. The world will be free and secure and only then will it be one.


“The end of evil empires” is the mantra of this joint effort. Imagine if there were no empires. The world will be free and secure and only then will it be one.

Kalmyks