The nations of Karelia historically lived relatively separately, in comparison with other regions of the Eurasian area of Russia. Natural physical and geographical factors contributed to the preservation of the local gene pool, unique religious, ethnocultural features and social and living arrangements of the Karelian community. For generations, these peoples intuitively felt a greater connection with Northern Europe and the Baltic than with the Moscow Upland.
The process of formation of ethnocultural identity began in the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1906 with the White Sea Karelian Union and then led to the declaration of independence of Karelia in 1920-1923 during congresses and an armed anti-Soviet uprising. However, subsequently, in violation of the will of the nations of Karelia, whose voice was represented in the League of Nations until 1926, the territory was occupied by Soviet Russia, and an era of political repression and forced relocation began. The dialects of the Karelian language, the Sami and Vepsian languages were replaced by the Finnish language, and the Pomeranian identity was prohibited. Local Swedish and Norwegian settlers, along with the Finns who decided to settle in these lands, were regarded as bourgeois supporters of the White Guards and were taken to Komi, Siberia, and Kazakhstan.
Then the events of the Winter War occurred, when part of the Finnish territory, along with the population, was forcibly torn away and the repressive apparatus repeated its activities again.
The times of Perestroika brought hope for the revival of national identities in Karelia; many movements and organizations tried to achieve recognition of their independence. Pomeranian, Sami, Karelian, Vepsian. However, in 2004, the Kremlin closed all national autonomies. A ban was introduced on teaching in the native language in educational institutions. The region on the border began to be closely monitored again. The beginning of internal repressions began in 2011, which was likely due to the Kremlin’s preparations to annex Crimea.
With the outbreak of a full-scale war in Karelian society, a consensus was built between the local native population and the wide Ukrainian diaspora, which, unlike other regions of the Russian Federation, ended up here precisely as a result of the forced resettlement of Soviet power. This is a common existential continuum. For example, Vepsians and Karelians from national villages went into the forest en masse during forced mobilization, and anti-war protests were held in the cities of Petrozavodsk and especially on the outskirts of the notorious Sandormokh.
In this presentation, I would like to consider the issue of the genesis of the Karelian national state, both on the basis of already existing biosocial data, and by stimulating the creation of an institute of repatriation.
Considering the indigenous autochthonous ethnic groups of Karelia, and these are primarily the Karelians, Vepsians, Sami, Ingrian Finns, Kola Norwegians and Pomors (comprising more than 40% of all in the region together), obvious aspects are revealed that indicate their similarities in origin, adjacent ethnocultural ontology, language, psycho type and physical and geographical location, which creates complementary conditions. The ethnoculture of each nation, of course, has its own uniqueness; at the same time, all the described nations of Karelia are already located in a traditionally single area of residence, which makes it possible to avoid serious social contradictions in the future. This territory is in the orbit of the Finno-Ugric world, and at the same time it is a natural bridge to the Northern European ethnocultural area. Which is manifested both in phenotypic characteristics and in the biosocial features of Northern European individualism.
One of the most important mechanisms for the return of national identity is the suspension of the mass ethnocultural replacement of the peoples of Karelia. Now this is being done by existentially hostile elements, the heirs of the Bolsheviks, who are guilty of ethnic cleansing, social and religious repression, that is, crimes without a statute of limitations.
The creation of a state institution for the repatriation of the indigenous peoples of Karelia to their historical homeland is the key task of a nationally oriented political force. Repatriation as a system has demonstrated its validity, which we can observe in the examples of Israel and Singapore, the Baltic countries, Poland and Finland, Germany, and what Ukraine is currently doing. This return program should apply both to those who were subject to forced relocation by the Soviet regime and to those who were forced to leave the Fatherland, saving their lives in the past and present.
Based on the experience of the Fennomanians of the 19th century, who declared the independence of Finland, the Karelian National Movement stands on the idea of extrapolating the positive experience of the past fraternal neighbour and advocates the establishment of a simplified system of granting citizenship for ethnic-activists of the Finno-Ugric and Scandinavian peoples. However, one cannot ignore the historical features of Karelia, so special attention should be paid to people who have relatives who were subjected to political repression during the Soviet and Russian periods, for example, forcibly resettled Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Germans, Finns, Poles and other victims of the Gulag and dispossessed Russian-speaking population. Similarly, a considerable number of civil and political activists have experienced pressure from Putin’s government and, through his fault, are serving their sentences in Karelia. These people, not only with words but also with actions, proved their devotion to the ideas of the struggle for freedom.
The Karelian National Movement officially declares its readiness to provide shelter to sympathetic activists and victims of political persecution.
In the 20th century, such a political term as Finlandization appeared in the world, i.e. a policy of neutrality with an eye on both sides of the Cold War. In the post-RF area, supporters of the Karelian national struggle advocate for the formation of a policy called “Karelization” – a natural neutral zone – a shield of Northern Europe and the Intermarium. This is an inversion of the policies of the last century with an important distinctive feature that the consolidation of forces will be aimed at genuine Europe to build a unified geopolitical strategy.
“Green policy” and the sustainable development of the Northern European nations are part of the ethnocultural tradition of the North, which is especially important against the backdrop of environmental challenges and climate change. The Kremlin’s attitude towards nature is a barbaric policy of environmental destruction. What can be considered as a factor of ecocide and what should be given special attention at subsequent conferences?
To summarize, we can state: that the policy of primordial national building is aimed at preserving the indigenous peoples of Karelia, who, due to their recessive characteristics, are at the stage of extinction and replacement.
I would like to invite the conference participants to consider the idea of forming an institution of repatriation in their state entities, and also, perhaps, sign an agreement on a simplified rotation of voluntary migrants between new political entities. This means, to start forming a project of horizontal connections on this topic. After all, preserving the world’s cultural biodiversity is the most important task of every national movement
Vladislav Nobel-Oleynik
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