Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum

The Free Nations of Postrussia Forum (FNRF or FSNR; Russian: Форум свободных народов Построссии, romanized: Forum svobodnykh narodov Post-Rossii) is a forum founded by opposition activists, regional and separatist movements in Russia, as well as foreign sympathizers, which advocates for the disintegration of the Russian Federation.[2] It was registered in Poland.[3]

Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum
Форум свободных народов Пост-России
AbbreviationFNRF (English)
FSNP (Russian)
Coordination Council[1]Rafis Kashapov (Free Idel-Ural)
Andrius Almanis
Pavel Mezerin (Free Ingria)
Inna Kurochkina (Ichkeria government-in-exile)
Founded8 May 2022 (2022-05-08)
Split fromFree Russia Forum
IdeologyAnti-Putinism
Indigenism
Regionalism
Separatism
Factions:
Federalism
Confederalism
Decentralization
Website
freenationsrf.org

According to its own statements, the Forum aims to fight for the "decolonization, de-occupation, decentralization, de-Putinization, denazification and demilitarisation of Russia".[4]Some Proposed States also Include Derussification.

On 17 March 2023, the forum was designated an "undesirable organization" in Russia.[3]

Foundation and ideology
Post-Russia map

The idea of creating the Forum as a platform for dialogue, promotion & communications (in particular, with representatives of the political, diplomatic and media establishment of states in NATO, the EU, Japan, etc.), coordination and interaction of various national liberation movements & governments in exile(both captive nation and regionalist) with the aim of their de-occupation from enslavement by imperial Muscovy arose in response to the strengthening of authoritarian and totalitarian practices of Putinism after the beginning of the full-scale phase of the war between Russia and Belarus against Ukraine in 2022, as an alternative platform for the imperial, Moscow-centric pseudo-opposition "liberals" (the so-called "good Russians") who seek to monopolize any opposition activity to the Putin regime, with in order to preserve the imperial essence of Russian statehood.

Gradually, the idea of the Forum evolved into even more dense and effective cooperation as a reflection on the increasingly aggressive activity of the de facto existing collation of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes - the MBTP Axis (Moscow-Beijing-Tehran-Pyongyang) and their satellites such as Lukashenko, Assad, Maduro, etc.

The Free Nations of Postrussia Forum platform was founded in the spring of 2022 by Oleg Magaletsky.

History

First forum

The first Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum was held on 8-9 May, 2022 in Warsaw, Poland. The event was organized by the Solidarity of Journalists Foundation. The forum was attended by former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev, as well as representatives of several regionalist and separatist movements within Russia, such as those of Bashkortostan, Chechnya and Siberia.[5] At the first forum, the Free Russia Forum, another gathering of Russian opposition, was openly criticised, with journalist Vadim Shtepa claiming that the latter was dominated by "centralist thinking."[6][7] Also participating in the forum was Belarusian opposition politician Pavel Latushko, MEP and former Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller.[8]

The forum participants called for, among other things, the dissolution of Russia and claimed that overt linguocide, ethnocide, and genocide were being committed by the government of Russia against non-Russians, both in Ukraine and Russia.[9]

Second forum
Second forum, Prague, Czech Republic

The second Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum was held in Prague, Czech Republic on 22–24 July 2022.[10][11] The forum was attended by Ponomarev, Klimkin, and former Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev, among others. The forum adopted a declaration calling for Russia to be declared a terrorist state and decolonized.[12] A map was published on the forum, where Russia is divided into 34 states, including an independent Chechnya and Siberia.[13][14][15][16]

Third forum
Third forum, Gdańsk, Poland

The third Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum took place in Gdańsk, Poland on 23–25 September 2022. Its focus was "liberation from the Kremlin empire and return to native European penates" of the "old-new" states of the western region of present-day Russia.[17]

Fourth Forum

The fourth Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum was held on December 7-11th in Helsingborg, Sweden. In December, the deputies of the State Duma of Russia adopted in the first reading two laws directly related to the FNRF (Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum). The new legal norms introduce punishments and equate the distribution or display of maps, images that "deny the territorial integrity of Russia" to extremism. The reason for developing such a law was the map, which became one of the trademarks and symbols of the Forum. On it, at the place of the current Russian Federation, several dozen states with their flags are placed.[18][19]

Fifth Forum
Fifth Forum, Brussels

On January 31st, 2023, the 5th Forum of the Free Nations of Post-Russia was held in the building of the European Parliament in Brussels.[20][21] Its topic was "Imperial Russia: Conquest, Genocide, and Colonization. Prospects of de-imperialization and decolonization".[18] During the session, representatives of five regions of Russia (the Urals, Königsberg (Kaliningrad region), Ingria (Leningrad region), Siberia and Kuban) announced the start of preparations for referendums on their independence.[22][23] The start of online referendums was scheduled for February 16, 2023, but as of February 9, Roskomnadzor blocked the site of online referendums regarding the secession of various regions from Russia.[24]

Sixth Forum

On April 25-28th, at the Hudson Institute (Washington), at the Philadelphia City Hall and at the Ukrainian Institute of America (New York), the VI Forum of Free Nations of Post-Russia took place, the main topic of which was: "The New Future of Northern Eurasia: Architecture of the Post-Russian Space". Representatives of the movements of enslaved peoples and regions of Russia took part in the forum. In addition, analysts, politicians, diplomats, experts, scientists and public figures from different countries joined the event.[25][26]

In particular, during the Forum, the possibilities of creating a new architecture of global and regional security were discussed.[27][28]

Seventh Forum

The seventh of Free Nations of Post-Russia "Post-Russian Space Foresights: Challenges and Opportunities for East & North Asia" was held in Japan on August 1-2, 2023.[29]

Its first day was spent in Parliament of Japan. The speakers (from representatives of Japan) were Yoshihiko Okabe (moderator), Yoko Hirose, Kazuo Okada, Hidetoshi Ishii, Masaaki Hayashi, and 5 current members of the Japanese Parliament: Rintaro Ishibashi, Suzuki Yosuke, Wada Yuichiro, Kamata Sayuri, Suzuki Atsushi. The Tokyo Declaration was signed.

On the second day, new speakers such as the Japan-based Ukrainian scholar Andrii Gurenko, several representatives of the oppressed by the Chinese government, took the floor. There were also over 30 online speakers including Kamil Galeev, Boris Stomakhin, Juray Mesyk (Slovakia), Gianni Vernetti (Italy), Oleksiy Goncharenko (Ukraine), David Piguet (France) and others. The second day's event was moderated by Yoko Ishii aka randomyoko.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation expressed a protest to the Embassy of Japan in the Russian Federation, in connection with the provision of a platform for the VII Forum of Free Nations of Post-Russia.[30] The Japanese government, in turn, responded by saying, "It was not held with the involvement of the Japanese government, and such protests are unacceptable." . [31]

Speakers and coordinating council of the Forum

Rafis Kashapov, Ilya Ponomarev, Ruslan Gabbasov, Pavel Sulidziaka, Vadim Stepa, Pavel Mizerin, Mariusz Pilis, Vadym Petrov, Dani Teps, Nafis Kashapov, Andrius Almanis, Pavlo Klimkin, Krzysztof Svorofski, Inna Kurochkina, Jaroslav Romanchuk, Taras Stetskiv, Anna Fotyga, Nikita Andreev.

You can find the full list of speakers and members of the coordination council of the Forum on the official website.[32]

Political positions

The Free Nations of Russia Forum has been cast by its members as a federalist alternative to other opposition forums, such as the Free Russia Forum, and has promoted the dissolution of Russia into a new federation or confederation. Members of the Forum have called for units consisting of Russian ethnic minorities within the Armed Forces of Ukraine while also expressing Ukraine's resistance to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as a model for minorities within Russia.[6]

Criticism

Political scientist Alexander Kynev said that the "little-known [separatist or confederalist] participants of the Forum, who have little understanding of the mood inside the country, presented a gift to Russian propaganda, which already periodically repeats that the enemies of Russia want to split and destroy it."[14] Vadim Shtepa, a leading Russian regionalist and one of the founders of the organization, withdrew from the Forum in December 2022, condemning it as a "parody" which, instead of performing serious analytical work on de-imperalization, focused on "loud" and "empty" declarations of independence by emigrants that would have no practical effect on their respective regions.[33]

On the website of "SVTV", the publication of the politician Mikhail Svetov, there was a message about "state security agents who gathered ... a forum to remind you that if not Putin, then a civil war" and "painted a contour map without really thinking about the meaning of the proposed reforms".[15]

On July 25, the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov ridiculed the Free Nations of Russia Forum, held in Prague. He thanked the "pseudo-liberals" for confirming the words of the Russian leadership about attempts to disintegrate the country.[34][35]

The FNRF was also criticized for labelling the other Russian opposition groups (especially the Freedom of Russia Legion) as "imperialist".[36]

Marlène Laruelle wrote that Western politicians should not confuse the radical statements of political exiles with the views of Russian citizens, including those of the FNRF with its call for the "liberation of captive nations", a phrase dating back to the imperial era and the CIA-backed Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations; she also argued that advocating for a breakup of Russia is a false strategy that would be "catastrophic for international security" and stems from a lack of knowledge of what "holds Russian society together in all its diversity".[37]

Member organizations
Federal Subject Proposed state Organization Faction Reference
Adyghea Circassia Separatists [38]
Arkhangelsk Pomorie Represented as a part of the Karelian National Movement Separatists [39]
Astrakhan Unification with Kalmykia Oirat-Kalmyk People's Congress Separatists [40][41]
Bashkortostan Bashkortostan Bashkort Movement, Bashkir National Political Center Separatists [38][42]
Buryatia Buryatia Free Buryatia Foundation Federalist [43]
Central Federal District Zalessian Rus' Separatists [44]
Chechnya Ichkeria Ichkerian government Separatists [38]
Chuvashia Chuvashia or Volga Bulgaria Free Idel-Ural Separatists [38]
Far Eastern Federal District Far Eastern Republic Separatists [44]
Ingushetia Ingushetia Committee of Ingush Independence Separatists [39]
Kaliningrad Baltic Republic Kaliningrad Public Movement, Respublika Movement Separatists [45]
Kalmykia Kalmykia Oirat-Kalmyk People's Congress Separatists [40]
Karelia Karelia Karelian National Movement Separatists [40]
Komi Komi Separatists [40]
Krasnodar Kuban Separatists [38]
Leningrad Ingria Free Ingria, Ingria without borders Federalists and Separatists [43][40]
Mari El Mari El Free Idel-Ural Separatists [38]
Mordovia Erzyan Mastor Erzya National Congress, Free Idel-Ural Separatists [40]
Pskov East Krivia Krivian Platform Separatists [39]
Rostov Oblast Cossackia Separatists [38][39]
Sakha Sakha Free Yakutia Separatists [43]
Smolensk Smalandia Smalandia Separatists [40]
Siberian Federal District Siberia Separatists [38]
Tatarstan Tatarstan Free Idel-Ural, All-Tatar Public Center, Ittifaq Party Separatists [38]
Tuva Tuva Separatists [44]
Udmurtia Udmurtia Free Idel-Ural Separatists [44]
Ural Federal District Ural Republic Separatists [44]

See also

References
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  2. sdp.pl, Redakcja portalu (8 May 2022). "Kонференция Форум Свободных Народов России". SDP (in Polish). Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  3. "Russia Labels Poland-Registered Forum As An 'Undesirable Organization'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  4. "Форум свободных народов России". Форум свободных народов России (in Russian). Retrieved 12 September 2022.
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  6. "Руслан Габбасов: "Идет неприкрытый лингвоцид и этноцид"". RFE/RL (in Russian). 8 May 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  7. Team, Editorial (2 May 2022). "8 мая в Варшаве пройдет "Форум народов свободной России"". Dictaphone.org.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. sdp.pl, Redakcja portalu (8 May 2022). "Rosja musi przegrać, aby wygrać swoją przyszłość. Relacja z Forum Wolnych Narodów Rosji". SDP (in Polish). Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. "Мы должны брать у украинцев пример того, как воевать с империей: в Варшаве собрались лидеры коренных народов РФ". Новости США, России, Украины, Беларуси и в Мире (in Russian). Retrieved 12 September 2022.
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  40. "Политики и эксперты обсудят в польском Гданьске независимость Карелии, Ингрии, Кёнигсберга и других регионов России". RFE/RL (in Russian). 20 September 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
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  42. "Спикеры". freenationsrf.org (in Russian). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  43. ""Я обязательно выучу названия этих 34 государств" В Европейском парламенте прошел "Форум свободных народов России". Его участники хотят разделить страну на несколько десятков государств. Репортаж "Медузы"". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
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