A small but vocal group of activists claiming to represent Russia’s many ethnic minorities has been courting Western support for what they call the country’s “decolonization.”
Ukrainian and Western officials have helped the activists gain platforms in the EU, the Council of Europe and the UN.
Some of their claims, including the portrayal of Russia, home to roughly 200 ethnic groups, as Europe’s last colonial empire, have been echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
One such group, the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, has published a map depicting Russia divided into 40 independent states.
In his latest report, RT’s Igor Zhdanov examines the activists’ ties to Ukraine and questions their claims to represent communities inside Russia.
Among those featured is Pavel Sulyandziga, who left Russia in 2017 after coming under suspicion of embezzling more than $100,000 in funds donated to support indigenous culture in one of the country’s northern regions.
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