Sounds familiar? The path of representatives of enslaved peoples (Tuvans, Bashkirs, Tatars, and others) is now banal and obvious: they were lured into paying exorbitant fees, signed a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry, came to fight in Ukraine, and went back as a ‘200’ (a euphemism for dead in action). Russia has made life in the regions absolutely unbearable and is mobilising non-Russians for war against Ukraine.
Various studies show that the mobilisation minimally affected Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the Kremlin is deliberately grinding down the enslaved nations. Any attempts to assert their rights are branded as “separatism.”
I continue to represent the rights of the enslaved nations on behalf of our parliamentary TSK, within the framework of the resolution, the OSCE participating states called on:
Condemn the persecution of indigenous peoples’ organisations, which is leading to new repression by the Kremlin;
To draw attention to the Caucasus, where more and more violations of the rights of Chechens, Ingush, Circassians, and other nationalities are being recorded;
Involve international institutions, in particular the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and the ODIHR, to strictly monitor the Kremlin’s actions;
Force Russia to fulfill its international obligations regarding indigenous peoples’ rights to land, culture, and autonomy.
Russia must stop the forced mobilisation of minorities, stop the physical and psychological pressure to sign contracts, and end the persecution of those who do not want to go to war against Ukraine.
Only joint pressure on the Kremlin can yield results. Thank you to everyone who supported the resolution.
Freedom for nations, freedom for the individual!
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, People’s Deputy of Ukraine
