Numerous proposed federal subjects have been put forward since the dissolution of the Soviet Union that would partition existing federal subjects of the Russian Federation. Many new federal subjects were declared in the 1990s, most of them were not recognized, while others, like Adygea and Altai Republics, which were previously autonomous oblasts, were recognized.
While some breakaway states of the former Soviet Union have petitioned to joined Russia, the historical context is too different to be included in this article.
During the collapse of the Soviet Union all former ASSRs declared their sovereignty as a part of the Russian Federation, gaining a status of a republic or full independence, such as Tatarstan or Chechnya. Some autonomous oblasts, such as Altai, Adyghea, Khakassia and Karachay-Cherkessia, were transformed into republics after declaring their sovereignty.
Due to political instability in the 90s some Russian majority regions and other federal subjects attempted to unsuccessfully increase their autonomy. The idea of Russian majority republics was seen by the central government as a possible cause for even more conflicts. [1]
By the early 2000s all republics were forced to remove the word sovereign from their constitutions by the Constitutional Court of Russia. This started a trend of even further centralization by the federal government. [2]
The procedure for uniting regions of Russia (in a broader sense - the procedure for the formation in the Russian Federation of a new entity not related to the admission of a foreign state or part of it into the Russian Federation) is established by the Federal Constitutional Law of December 17, 2001 No. 6-FKZ “On the procedure for admission to the Russian Federation and the formation within it of a new subject of the Russian Federation".
The two Buryat autonomies were liquidated in 2008, the decision was not supported by local Buryat population, which still wants the return of Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug and Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug. They are represented by the "Erhe" movement. [3]
The Evenk Autonomous Okrug was liquidated in 2007 by a referendum. However, the native Evenk population wants to restore the former subject within the borders of the current Evenk District of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The main causes are economic isolation and cultural decline. The main organization is the Association of Indigenous peoples of Evenkia "Arun". [4]
The Koryak Autonomous Okrug was liquidated in 2007. The native Koryak population wants to restore the former subject within the borders of current Koryak Okrug of Kamchatka Krai. [5] The idea gained big support among the local population in 2020, when the governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, wanted to liquidate the existing autonomy of Koryakia by uniting it with another okrug. [6] Other reasons include poverty and geographic isolation. [7]
The biggest movements are "Koryakia" and "Palanken Ynet". [7]
The Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug was liquidated in 2005. The native Permyak population and even some of the Russians want to restore the former subject within the borders of Komi-Permyak Okrug of Perm Krai. [8]
Komi-Permyakia became the first autonomous okrug of Russia that voted to join another federal subject. [9] The primary causes for separation from Perm are destruction of local culture and language and economic dependency on Perm. [9] [10] Local politicians and people believe that the Perm government has failed to modernize the region, as it still remains one of the poorest parts of Perm Krai. [11]
Promotion of Permyak culture and language has been seen as separatism due to western support of those projects. And some delegates of the World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples have supported the idea of an independent Udmurt state. Some Russian political scientists believe that western support of Finno-Ugric cultures in Russia is a tool used by Finland, Estonia and Hungary to cause the collapse of the country. [12]
The Taymyr Autonomous Okrug was liquidated in 2007. The native Nenets and Dolgan population want to restore the former subject within the borders of Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai. [13] The idea is supported by the local population and there have been more than 4 attempts to organize a referendum to leave Krasnoyarsk Krai. [14] The main causes of separatism from Krasnoyarsk are economic exploitation by the central government, [10] geographic isolation, poverty and lack of basic infrastructure, such as roads, school and cemeteries. [15] The economic situation is so bad that some villages resorted to use barter economy due to lack of food and money. [16] [13]
The Veps National Volost was dissolved in 2004. There have been several attempts by the Karelian Congress and the Veps Culture Society to restore the autonomy. [17]
Russia has a number of bi-national republics, composed of two titular nations. Some of the local residents have called for creation of new mono-national regions.
There have been attempts to divide the binational republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia into separate Kabardey, Balkar, Karachay, Circassian and Cossack republics [18] or unite into Karachay-Balkaria. In 1992 the idea of disuniting Karachay-Cherkessia was rejected by a referendum. [19]
1992 Referendum | |
---|---|
Dissolution of Karachay-Cherkessia into 3 enteties | Preserve Karachay-Cherkess AO |
21,4% | 78,6% |
Certain nationalist elements in the republic reject the idea of existence of a Mordvin ethnicity or nation, believing that it's a made-up term by the colonizers to destroy the cultures of Erzyans and Mokshans peoples. Thus they support creation of two new republics for Erzyans and Mokshans. [20]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s the Baltic Republican Party campaigned for a creation of a Baltic Republic within the border of Kalningrad Oblast as a part of the Russian Federation. It was banned in 2003. [21]
Most Baltic autonomists later turned to separatism. [22]
Electoral performance of the Baltic Republican Party | |||
---|---|---|---|
Election | Seats | +/- | Government |
2000 Kaliningrad Oblast Duma | 1 / 31 | 1 | Opposition |
Reference [23] |
The idea of a Central Russian Republic was supported by some of the local politicians in the 90s. It was to be composed of 11 regions with the capital in Orel. [24]
The idea saw some revitalization in the late 2000s and early 2010s with some Russian Nationalists, such as the National Democratic Alliance, who created the Zalessian Rus' Movement. [25]
Several Cossack republics were declared after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Declared republics:
Some Cossack autonomists later turned to separatism. [28]
The Far Eastern Republic was a proposed federal subject within the border of the entire Far Eastern Federal District, excluding Sakha and Buryatia. [29] The idea of an autonomous republic was supported by the former Governor of Khabarovsk Krai, Viktor Ishayev. [30]
In 1993 the legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai tried to proclaim a new republic as a part of the Russian Federation but the motion was 7 votes short. [31]
Most Far Eastern Autonomists later turned to separatism. [32]
Ingermanland , Ingria or Neva Republic is a proposed federal subject within the borders of Leningrad Oblast and the city of Saint Petersburg. The idea gained relative popularity in 1996 with the creation of the Movement for Autonomy of Petersburg and the Independent Petersburg movement. [33] The idea never had any centralized leadership, some movements only demand autonomy within Russia, while other demands full independence. [33] [34]
In the early 1990s there have been attempts to create a Lezgin autonomy in Russia and Azerbaijan. [35] [36]
On 13 November 1990 at a session of the Nenets District Council of People's Deputies of the 21st convocation, a proposal was made to create the Nenets Soviet Autonomous Republic within the territory of the Nenets Okrug. It was approved by the local government and the Nenets ASSR was to become the Nenets Republic. But the idea rejected due to separatism in other regions. [37]
The Pomor Republic is a proposed autonomous within the borders of Arkhangelsk Oblast, some movements also include Murmansk Oblast and Nenets Autonomous Okrug as part of a proposed state. [38] Some local politicians, such as the former governor of Arkhabgelsk Oblast Anatoly Efremov, supported the idea of reviving local culture by calling themselves Pomor. [39]
Some more radical Pomor autonomists later turned to separatism. [28]
In September 1993 during the Russian constitutional crisis, when Siberian governors and deputies demanded simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections. They also announced the creation of a new federal subject of Russia — the Siberian Republic —, and claimed that if their demands were not met, they would stop the export of all resources and the payment of taxes to the federal center. [40]
In 1997, Siberian deputies and governors created a new political party that defended interests of Siberian and Far Eastern regions and called for more autonomy, their end goal was winning presidential elections. [41]
Most Siberian autonomists later turned to separatism. [42]
During the 1993 political crisis in Chelyabinsk a deputy of the local parliament Aleksander Salomatkin declared Chelyabinsk Oblast a new federal subject named South-Ural Republic. He signed the resolution “On the state and legal status of the Chelyabinsk Oblast and its transformation into the South Ural Republic.” This resolution instructs local Councils of People's Deputies to conduct a survey of the population and submit their proposals to the regional council by October 15. The regional council did not have time to analyze the proposals; in October the councils were dissolved after the dispersal of the Supreme Soviet of Russia. [43]
Tver Karelian separatism refers to the idea of creating a Tver Karelian republic as a subject of the Russian Federation. [44] [45] The idea is supported by the Tver Karelia movement and Karelian Revivival movement. [46] The founder of the movements, Mikhail Dron, was prosecuted by the Tver Oblast police over false claims in 2021, but was released. [47]
In July 1993 Sverdlovsk Oblast Council proclaimed a new federal subject of Russia — Ural Republic . The idea was also supported by the Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast, Eduard Rossel. In September, a treaty was signed heads of Kurgan, Orenburg, Perm, Sverdlovsk, and Chelyabinsk regions on their intention to participate in the development of joint local economic union of the Ural Republic. On November 9, 1993, President Yeltsin liquidated the Ural Republic by decree and dissolved the Sverdlovsk Oblast council. Russian government figures believed that creating a majority Russian republic will resolve in the dissolution of Russia. [1]
Most Ural autonomists later turned to separatism. [48]
In 1993 some local politicians attempted to start a referendum with the question “Do you think that territories and regions, including the Vologda Oblast, should have equal constitutional rights with the republics that are part of the Russian Federation?” [49] Despite governors of the regions later claiming that the idea never existed even the 90s, Yeltsin officially dismissed the idea in 1993. [31]
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On 18 November 1991 the Legislative Assembly of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug proclaimed the Yamalo-Nenets Republic. [50]
Ross, Cameron (2002). Federalism and Democratisation in Russia. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-5869-1.
Шнирельман, В.А. (2015). Арийский миф в современном мире (in Russian). Moscow: НЛО. ISBN 9785444804223.
Штепа, Вадим (2012). INTERREGNUM. 100 вопросов и ответов о регионализме (in Russian). Petrozavodsk: Изд. ИП Цыкарев А.В. ISBN 978-5-9903769-1-5.
Штепа, Вадим (2019). Возможна ли Россия после империи? (in Russian). Yekaterinburg: Издательские решения. ISBN 978-5-4496-0796-6.
Karachay-Cherkessia, officially the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus. It is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District. As of the 2021 census, Karachay-Cherkessia has a population of 469,865. Cherkessk is the largest city and the capital of the republic.
Cherkessk is the capital city of Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, as well as its political, economic, and cultural center. Population: 129,069 (2010 Census). 112,782 (2024).
Stavropol Krai, also known as Stavropolye, is a federal subject of Russia. It is geographically located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia, and is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District. Stavropol Krai has a population of 2,907,593, according to the 2021 Census.
Krasnodar Krai is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Krasnodar. The third most populous federal subject in Russia, it had a population of 5,838,273 as of the 2021 Census.
The Nenets Autonomous Okrug also known as Nenetsia is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Naryan-Mar. It has an area of 176,700 square kilometers (68,200 sq mi) and a population of 42,090 as of the 2010 Census, making it the least populous federal subject.
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug–Yugra, also known as Khanty-Mansia (Khantia-Mansia), is a federal subject of Russia. It has a population of 1,532,243 as of the 2010 Census. Its administrative center is located at Khanty-Mansiysk.
The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug also known as Yamalia is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Tyumen Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Salekhard, and its largest city is Novy Urengoy. The 2021 Russian Census recorded its population as 510,490.
Autonomous okrugs are a type of federal subject of the Russian Federation and simultaneously an administrative division type of some federal subjects. As of 2024, Russia has four autonomous okrugs of its 83 federal subjects. The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is the only okrug which is not subordinate to an oblast. The Nenets Autonomous Okrug is a part of Arkhangelsk Oblast, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug are parts of Tyumen Oblast.
Russia is divided into twelve economic regions — groups of federal subjects sharing the following characteristics:
The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation or simply as the subjects of the federation, are the constituent entities of Russia, its top-level political divisions. According to the Constitution of Russia, the federation consists of republics, krais, oblasts, cities of federal importance, an autonomous oblast, and autonomous okrugs, all of which are equal subjects of the federation.
Ust-Dzheguta is a town and the administrative center of Ust-Dzhegutinsky District of the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Russia, located north of the Caucasus Mountains on the right bank of the Kuban River 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) south of Cherkessk. Population: 31,137 (2021 Census); The dam here is the start of the Great Stavropol Canal.
Labytnangi is a town in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ob River, 20 kilometers (12 mi) northwest of Salekhard. Population: 26,936 (2010 Census); 27,304 (2002 Census); 31,501 (1989 Soviet census).
Gubkinsky is a town in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the left bank of the Pyakupur River, south of Salekhard. Population: 23,335 (2010 Census); 20,407 ; 9,676.
Russia, the largest country in the world by area, has international land borders with fourteen sovereign states as well as two narrow maritime boundaries with the United States and Japan. There are also two breakaway states bordering Russia, namely Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The country has an internationally recognized land border running 22,407 kilometres (13,923 mi) in total, and has the second-longest land border of any country in the world, after China. The borders of the Russian Federation were mostly drawn since 1956, and have remained the same after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in a move that remains internationally unrecognized.
Priuralsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the seven in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is located in the west of the autonomous okrug. The area of the district is 64,150 square kilometers (24,770 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Aksarka. Population: 14,995 ; 7,680 (2002 Census); 6,616 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Aksarka accounts for 20.9% of the district's total population.
Shuryshkarsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the seven in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the autonomous okrug. The area of the district is 54,016 square kilometers (20,856 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Muzhi. Population: 9,814 ; 9,559 (2002 Census); 9,001 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Muzhi accounts for 36.8% of the district's total population.
Yamalsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the seven in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north and northwest of the autonomous okrug. The area of the district is 117,410 square kilometers (45,330 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Yar-Sale. Population: 16,310 ; 14,918 (2002 Census); 15,029 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Yar-Sale accounts for 39.8% of the district's total population.
Separatism in Russia refers to bids for secession or autonomy for certain federal subjects or areas of the Russian Federation. Historically there have been many attempts to break away from the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union but modern separatism took shape in Russia after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and the annexation of Crimea. Separatism in modern Russia was at its biggest in the 1990s and early 2000s. The topic became relevant again after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The primary causes of separatism are nationalism in the republics, economic dependency, and geographic isolation. The promotion of separatism is illegal in Russia.
Adyghe Hase or Circassian Khase is a political party active in the Russian republics of Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia, as well as in the former Shapsug National District in Krasnodar Krai. Popular among ethnic Circassians during the 1990s, it called for the unification of the three republics and the district into a single federal state.