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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 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

Steppe

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

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