For centuries, Russia kept enslaved nations under its rule, not giving them the opportunity for self-determination. From the Tsarist Empire to the Soviet Union, and now to the Putin regime, the struggle for freedom was punished by repression. Any movement for independence or disagreement with the central government was brutally suppressed.
The tsarist authorities used strategies to destroy the culture, language and identity of the conquered nations. During the Soviet Union, Stalin massively persecuted those who sought independence for their republics: deportations, famines, Gulag camps, and mass executions became tools of repression. Under the guise of the “unity” of the nations of the USSR, hundreds of thousands of people were repressed for their desire for freedom.
Today, Putin continues this policy. Representatives of national minorities, such as Chechens, Tatars, Buryats, and now – new freedom fighters – activists from Sakha-Yakutia and Bashkortostan, found themselves behind bars for speaking out against the war and fighting for self-determination. Russia remains a prison for those who dream of freedom for their people.
This repressive machine has been working for centuries, but we must continue the struggle for the freedom of nations that are still suffering under the rule of the Kremlin.
