By Vestnik Kavkaza
Last autumn billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov urged the political circles of the country to reject dividing Russia into ethnic districts and republics. According to him, internal borders form “ethnic ghetto” where local corrupted officials are robbing people of all ethnic groups. Prokhorov believes that an economic approach to administrative structure of the country is much better.
Four months later Lev Gumilev Center and the Russian Congress of the Caucasus Peoples organized a round table in the Moscow Nationalities House – “Ethnic Republics in Russia: the past, the present, the future.”
Rustem Vakhitov, expert on the ethnic policy, journalist
I would like to discuss reasons which are presented by opponents of ethnic republics in the Russian Federation It seems they have good intentions. They say that existence of ethnic republics threats integrity of the Russian Federation, that ethnic republics can separate and establish an independent state. I.e. Russia either would stop to exist or would lose the majority of its territories. I think this reason is not serious or convincing. A collapse of the Russian state is possible only if some region has developed its regional identity, i.e. residents of this region present themselves as a community which is different from the pan-Russian community. In most republics have various ethnic groups, practically 2-3 big ethnic groups.
They threaten us that republics are nurseries of nationalism. But if we look at the problem historically, we will see that the republics appeared for prevention and control over nationalism. Existence of republics enables the central authorities to control these processes and hold them off. Republics are not nurseries of nationalism, they are institutions which prevent nationalism. If they disappear, nationalism will boost. Peoples who lost their republics would be headed by nationalist elites and react at the situation clearly. Interethnic conflicts would appear. The elimination would mean for them that the Russian state doesn’t care about development of their cultures and existence of their ethnic groups.
Vladimir Porkhomenko, Ataman’s aide in the Vladikavkaz District of the Tersk Cossack Army
The policy of joining southern territories which was strategically important for Russia gave an opportunity to maintain an ethnic face for every ethnic group which lived in the territories. I watched the 1950s, the process of return from Kazakhstan. What principles did this return have? Firstly, there was a federal pan-Union return program. It had serious financial support. Those Chechens who returned not in Chechnya, but to Dagestan, for instance, to Khasavyurt, how did they settle? They settled compactly in Khasavyurt, as well as the Mountain Andis in the valley near Khasavyurt, the Lezgins in Kurush. A very serious program was working.
Magomed Omarov, co-chairman of the RCCP, vice-president of the ethnic-political research fund “Continent”
When Russian nationalists say: “Russia is for Russians”, I want to ask them, what Russia is for what Russians? Russia of the 15ht century before Ivan the Terrible had conquered Astrakhan and Kazan and Yermak had conquered Siberia? Russia of the 18th, 20th, or 21st century? When Russian nationalists say: “Russia is for Russians and we are Empirers!”, they simply do not understand their own logics as an empire requires many ethnic groups and territories; while nationalism is a narrow self-understanding in the world.
Brontoi Bedyurov, Altai writer
We pay too much attention to Prokhorov’s words. Who is he? If he somehow got big money, it doesn’t mean that he has a right to estimate the great Russian history and our great brotherhood of people. It is unpleasant to hear even the phrase “Russian nationalists.” A Russian cannot be a nationalist. A Russian is big. He is like a bear in forest – he protects squirrels and chipmunks. It is good to live near a bear, unlike an owl or a hare. We have an absolutely unique community which was established not by Bolsheviks, tsars or khans. We have a great Scythian community since ancient times. We live under a different principle, not under a principle of bloody Rome – divide and rule; we live under the principle of the Scythian brotherhood – unite and rule.
I have recently met my Abkhazian colleague and he told me: “You are Altaian, why do you support us, Abkhazians and Ossetians?” I said that I support not Abkhazians or Ossetians, but compatriots, co-citizens. When ethnocratic elements came in power in Georgia, you wanted to stay in the united country. You are patriots, not separatists or nationalists – Abkhazians and Ossetians. You were included into Georgia forcedly because the authorities of the Trans-Caucasian Republic wanted to make Georgia a big republic – they cut 8 Abkhaz regions, an Armenian region, Adzharia. I am not against Georgia, but I was born in the USSR and I stand for my Motherland in space and time.
Russian Ivan’s village is 1/6 of the world. And he is the best guy in this village, everybody is gald to see him – Adygs, Abazins, Yakuts, and Chukcha.
