On 13 September in London, the VATANÇI movement and the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile signed a cooperation agreement. In March, a district court in Kazan designated the movement an extremist organisation; the case materials also referred to its cooperation with the Government in Exile.
On 13 September 2026, the VATANÇI movement and the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile signed a cooperation agreement in London. The document was signed on behalf of the movement by its representative in the United Kingdom, Almaz Gubaidullin, and on behalf of the Government by Prime Minister Rafis Kashapov.
What preceded the agreement
On 23 March, 2026, the Vakhitovsky District Court of Kazan designated the public association VATANÇI (also rendered as VATANCI, ВАТАНЧИ and ВАТАНЧЫ) an extremist organisation. On 28 May, the movement was added to Russia’s federal list of extremist organisations.
According to the SOVA Research Centre’s account of the ruling, the court also referred to VATANÇI’s cooperation with the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile, the All-Tatar Public Centre and other organisations of the Tatar national movement.
Thus, the cooperation that the parties formally documented on 13 September had already appeared in the Russian court’s reasoning in the case that led to the movement’s prohibition. The agreement now gives that cooperation a formal and public framework.
“We were declared extremists in the spring. For what — for talking to each other and speaking about our people. Here, abroad, nothing will happen to me for that. But I understand very well what it costs those who remain at home. That is why we sign such documents openly — so that it is clear that we have not disappeared.”
Almaz Gubaidullin, VATANÇI representative in the United Kingdom
What the agreement is for
The parties stated that they intend to combine efforts in the struggle for Tatarstan’s independence, the protection of the rights of the Tatar people and the preservation of national identity. The agreement provides a framework for joint political and civic work and for representing the interests of the Tatar people on international platforms.
For VATANÇI, the agreement formalises its cooperation with the Government in Exile. For the Government, it expands the network of Tatar organisations with which it maintains regular work abroad.
“By declaring Tatar organisations extremist, Moscow is pursuing one goal — to divide us so that each person is left alone with their problems. We are doing the opposite. The Government in Exile exists so that the Tatar people have representation where such representation is prohibited inside the republic. Every organisation joining this work makes our voice stronger. This is not a symbolic gesture, but a practical necessity.”
Rafis Kashapov, Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile
Context
The Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile traces its institutional history to 2008, when representatives of the Tatar national movement and the Milli Mejlis established a government in exile. Today it operates abroad as a political and public institution advocating Tatarstan’s state self-determination and independence.
Правительство Независимого Татарстана
