Recently, our website published an analytics https://abn.org.uaru/analytyka/razdroblennaya-rossiya-riski-i-perspektivy/ regarding the Idel-Ural project. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the position of the Bashkir National Movement regarding this issue.
In the article, in principle, everything is described correctly, with the exception of one thing – the Idel-Ural project, where they so stubbornly want to drag the Bashkirs. Ukrainians call the unwillingness of the Bashkirs to join the Idel-Ural confederation “the unripeness of the Bashkir national movement.” We will explain why the Bashkir national movement is against joining the Idel-Ural project.
It was correctly pointed out in the text that federations and confederations can only be constructed from independent states. Also, at one time, the European Union was created from a union of independent states. They are trying to draw us into this project without even allowing us to be an independent state. We believe that we all need to be independent states for at least several decades, form as states, build international relations, establish economic ties, raise the young generation that has lived in an independent state, and only after that we can think about unions.
Now what is Idel-Ural. Initially, this project began to be promoted after the 1917 revolution by the Tatar ideologists Sadri Maksudi and Gayaz Iskhaki. It was supposed to include the Kazan, Ufa and Orenburg provinces in full, as well as some counties and volosts with a predominantly Tatar population of the neighboring Perm, Samara, Simbirsk and Vyatka provinces. Then, the Bashkir national movement, headed by Zaki Validi, did not support this idea and staked on the creation of its own separate national republic of Bashkurdistan.
The main reason for the rejection of Idel-Ural is that the ideologists of this project wanted to include the Bashkir people in the Tatar nation. The Bashkirs abandoned this project because they feared being absorbed into the larger Tatar nation.
Perhaps today the goals have changed and the architects of the Idel-Ural project set completely different goals, but the danger for the Bashkirs from this project still remains.
Who benefits from this project?
It is obvious that this union is beneficial to all five republics (Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Mari El, Mordovia and Chuvashia) and six peoples of these republics (Tatars, Udmurts, Mari, Erzya, Moksha and Chuvash). It is beneficial because they are geographically very close to Moscow, which cannot but cause concern on the part of these five Volga republics. The distance from the border of Mordovia to Moscow is less than 500 km. Everyone knows the bad temper of the Russian neighbor from Moscow and understands that one must stay away from his threats and influence.
Without Bashkortostan, all these five republics remain enclaves in the Russian world. Even if Russia breaks up into dozens of independent states (which we very much hope for), many Russian state formations will also be formed. They surround all five Volga republics and only through Bashkortostan there is an exit to Kazakhstan and beyond.
That is why the five Volga republics need Bashkortostan so much. In addition, the Bashkirs themselves are not a small people, more than a million people, and four million people live in the republic, which is extremely important for Idel-Ural. Considering that among all six republics of the Ural-Volga region, Tatarstan is the richest and most economically developed, and the Tatars are the most numerous people, it is not difficult to guess who will play the first violin in this Idel-Ural confederation.
And we are far from sure that in the future, if we suddenly decide to leave the Idel-Ural confederation, we will leave with the same territories that were included. And after all, no one gives any guarantees that there will be no territorial encroachments. Who will give us such guarantees, and will they be respected? We remember that Ukraine was also given guarantees to preserve its territorial integrity, and we all know what came of this. This is what the Bashkirs are afraid of and this is why they do not want to join the Idel-Ural project.
Even having acquired the northwestern regions of Bashkortostan, both Tatarstan and the rest of the Volga republics remain in an enclave and dangerously close to the “Russian world”. All the same, all these republics remain cut off and will be in the orbit of influence of the Russian republics or one large Russian Republic. It turns out that without Bashkortostan, all five republics of the Volga region are doomed to gradual assimilation and inclusion in the zone of influence of the “Russian world”. That is why the architects of this project are trying so hard to drag Bashkortostan into Idel-Ural.
We understand these fears, but we also lose or can lose a lot by joining this project. Why do we need this when no one gives and is not going to give us guarantees of maintaining our territorial integrity?
We are ready to enter into a military alliance, but no more.
