A series of protest actions swept across the Altai Republic, and in the capital, Gorno-Altaysk, there was even a rally against the introduction of a single-tier system of local government. About four thousand people came to the rally. The protesters appealed to Putin, demanding the resignation of Andrey Turchak, who was appointed head of the republic a year ago. They also demanded the cancellation of the local government reform, which in essence significantly limits the electoral rights of the region’s residents.
Formally, the application for the rally was submitted by the organization “Kurultay of the Altai People”, but in reality, the majority of the indigenous people of Altai are behind the protests. The authorities usually do not approve protest events, but the administration of Gorno-Altaysk allowed the rally to be held, although they tried to significantly limit the number of its participants.
The authorities were truly frightened by the number and determination of the protesters, some of whom travelled more than 400 kilometers, which turned off the Internet in the capital of the autonomy.
Before that, there were individual pickets in the republic, and some activists even blocked roads. The first detainees have been arrested.
Several detainees have already been sentenced to fines and short terms of administrative arrest.
Altai people believe that Moscow’s attempts to abolish local self-government are connected with the desire of the imperial centre to monopolise the natural resources of Altai. First of all, recreational resources. It is the distribution of the most valuable land plots, which are often located in protected or sacred areas for Altai people, that interests the imperial centre.
Other residents of Russia are expressing solidarity with the protesters in Altai on social networks. Residents of Sakha, Tyva, Buryatia and Bashkortostan are especially active in supporting them with their posts.
But the protesters do not understand that Moscow is not going to make concessions to them. Only by force and by creating a danger for the Russian authorities can they be persuaded to compromise. The protests will be suppressed, and national activists will be punished.
It is high time for the opponents of the Russian government to understand that individual sporadic manifestations of protests against Moscow will not yield results, but rather will lead to the fact that the protesters will be neutralised individually.
Only a coordinated uprising in different regions of Russia will allow the Russian empire to be dealt a mortal blow.
