On 23 August 2012, on the Day of the Ukrainian Flag, the Appellate Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation confirmed the legality of the liquidation of the Association of Ukrainians of Russia. [1] This was the last nationwide independent organisation of Ukrainians in Russia.
This was a symbolic slap in the face of the Ukrainian people living in Russia. Russia had been preparing for aggression against Ukraine long before 2014, beginning with the internal “cleansing” of Ukrainian communities, restricting the activities of cultural centres, and destroying Ukrainian institutions – all of this was not a series of local incidents, but a deliberate strategy.
Unfortunately, neither the world nor Ukraine itself drew the necessary conclusions at the time. That is why it is important to remind us today: the war did not begin in 2014 or in 2022. It started when the Kremlin destroyed the Ukrainian presence inside its own country, systematically preparing the ground for further aggression.
Russia destroyed independent Ukrainian organisations long before the war:
- Liquidation of the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians of Russia (FNKAUR) [2]
• On 24 November 2010, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the Ministry of Justice’s lawsuit and ruled to liquidate the FNKAUR.
• On 27 January 2011, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the liquidation ruling (appeal rejected). - Liquidation of the “Association of Ukrainians of Russia” (AUR)
• On 18 May 2012, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation liquidated the AUR at the request of the Ministry of Justice (Judge N. Romanenkov announced the decision).
• On 23 August 2012, the Appellate Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation confirmed this ruling.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine publicly protested against the liquidation of the AUR, but unfortunately, this was the only reaction: no sanctions were imposed by Ukraine against the officials involved in these decisions, and the issue was not raised internationally[3]. - Creation of a new “puppet” structure instead of the old networks
• In spring 2012, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation registered a new Federal National-Cultural Autonomy “Ukrainians of Russia” (headed by Bohdan Bezpalko).
• According to “Ukrainian Pravda,” Ukrainian journalists were not allowed into the founding congress of the new structure; Ukrainian associations declared that the autonomy was established without their participation. - Attempt to establish the “Ukrainian Congress of Russia” and the Ministry of Justice’s refusal
• In 2013, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation refused to register the “Ukrainian Congress of Russia.” This was confirmed by two publications in “Kommersant”: one on the submission of documents and another on the refusal. - Pressure on the Ukrainian Library of Literature in Moscow
• The first major wave of searches took place in December 2010 – January 2011: books were seized, and the premises were sealed during the investigation.
At the time, this was perceived as nothing more than Russia’s internal affair. But in hindsight, it becomes clear: it was not about legal technicalities, but about the systematic eradication of any independent forms of Ukrainian self-organisation.
Why was this important?
The liquidation of Ukrainian organisations in Russia was part of preparing for war. By eliminating independent structures, the Kremlin:
• deprived Ukrainians in Russia of the ability to resist future aggression in an organised way;
• created the illusion of the “absence” of Ukrainians in Russia as a political and cultural factor.
The liquidation of Ukrainian organisations in Russia was a typical tool of imperial policy: first, the colonizer destroys the culture and voice of subjugated peoples in the metropolis, and then carries that aggression outward. This is how Muscovy expanded its power for centuries, and this is exactly what we see in the war against Ukraine.
[1] The Appellate Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation confirmed the legality of the liquidation of the Association of Ukrainians of Russia
[2] The Ukrainian autonomy in Russia was indeed liquidated
[3] MFA: The liquidation of the Association of Ukrainians of Russia demonstrates biased treatment
Nina Belyaeva
