In connection with the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to create a platform for dialogue with the so-called “Russian democratic forces,” the League of Free Nations, an association of national movements of indigenous peoples, declares:
1. Our peoples are not part of the so-called “Russian democratic opposition.” We do not seek to be part of the “Russian people” and do not link our future to the “Russian state”, either in its current form or in any reformed form. Our political and historical goal is liberation from Moscow’s colonial control and the construction of our own independent national states.
2. Russian oligarchs and former officials, now in exile, have neither the moral nor the political right to speak on behalf of all peoples living within the Russian Federation. Their attempts to reclaim the right of representation are a continuation of the imperial practice, whereby everything “non-Russian” must be subordinated to the “centre.”
3. Tatars, Bashkirs, Chechens, Sakha, Buryats, and dozens of other peoples possess their own political agency. We are not an appendage to the projects of Russian chauvinists—whether in the Kremlin or in exile. Any format of a “united Russian opposition” without recognition of the right of our peoples to self-determination is a continuation of colonial logic under a new banner.
4. We are seeing signs that the desire to give Russian forces another chance to build a “democratic Russia” is being realised, but this experiment could be the last for our peoples. Give us a chance. We want to survive; we must survive. Please help us. We want to become part of a free, civilized world, not subjects of Moscow, no matter who sits on the throne: the tsar, the emperor, the general secretary, or the president!
5. The League of Free Nations is prepared to engage in direct and independent dialogue with PACE without the mediation of the Russian opposition. We insist that the voices of indigenous peoples be heard directly and reflect the true diversity of the post-Russian space.
6. Ethnic Russians living in our national republics and regions are part of the future dialogue. We are open to the participation of all who recognise the right of our peoples to independence, self-determination, and peaceful development.
7. The League of Free Nations looks forward to direct consultations with PACE. It remains open to interaction with other international organisations, including the Organization of Turkic States, the OSCE, and the European Parliament. We are ready to constructively discuss ways to decolonise and establish new independent, non-threatening states in territories currently under Moscow’s control.
