Aleksandr Ivanov, a deputy of the Yakut parliament Il Tumen from the New People party, may be expelled from the legislative assembly for his opinion on the possible state of Sakha in the future, reports Exclusive.kz.
It all started with an interview given to a Turkish blogger. To the question “Why don’t you become a separate state?” Ivanov replied:
“Ask any Yakut: ‘Would you like this in the future?’ I would say ‘yes’. But if you ask whether we are ready now, I will say ‘no’, because there are very few of us now. The territories are huge, and as a people, we are not yet mature enough for this.”
According to the deputy, “so many years” must pass before the Yakuts can agree on the region’s independence and say: “We are ready.”
We, in principle, may not separate, but there will be some kind of autonomy, some kind of republic – and we can live like that. Today it is harmful to think about it. It is very harmful, because we live in the Russian Federation. Today we cannot talk about it. But to dream about it, to go towards it, to have more children, to learn to work, to unite, not to divide into “you are this – you are that” – yes, after that it is possible. But now – no
The leader of the New People party, Alexei Nechayev, immediately called Ivanov a “traitor” and demanded that he be expelled from the faction.
State Duma deputy Sardana Avksentyeva, who headed the party list, responded harshly:
“Any manifestations of separatism are unacceptable… as a person who headed the list, I consider it impossible for him to be in the faction.”
The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Security Committee, Andrei Lugovoy, described Ivanov’s words as “deliberate work against Russia” and ordered that the statements be checked for extremism and separatism.
Il Tumen speaker Alexey Yeremeyev stated that Ivanov’s words contradict the unity of the country, damage the region’s reputation and violate ethical standards.
The head of the United Russia faction, Alexey Kolodeznikov, called the interview “pure provocation”:
“Russia is strong through its regions! Yakutia is strong through Russia!”
The communists did not stop at words. Viktor Gubarev (CPRF) appealed to the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee, citing articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (280, 281) on encroachment on territorial integrity, and demanded that Ivanov be brought to criminal responsibility.
The regional branch of the New People Party tried to distance itself. The head of the faction, Nyurguyana Zamorshchikova, said that the issue would be considered at a faction meeting with Ivanov personally present and a quorum. She emphasized that the republic had been developing for centuries as part of Russia, and any manifestations of separatism were a threat to stability and the people’s heritage.
While the pressure was mounting, Ivanov was receiving help. Vladimir Poskachin and Afanasy Maksimov, prominent members of the regional elite, issued open messages of support:
“Calling a deputy a traitor without a trial is unacceptable, as is making behind-the-scenes decisions to expel him.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Ivanov visited the Altai Republic, where he called on the Turkic peoples of Russia to get to know each other.
Shokan Almas
Еxclusive
