The #indigenous people 'breathing last breath' in #Putin's war 4,000 miles from home

by Josh Leyton, February 28, 2025

"One of the world’s oldest continuous communities is ‘breathing its last breath’ as some of its few remaining men die fighting for #Russia more than 4,000 miles away in #Ukraine.

"The #Yupik are among the threatened #IndigenousPeoples in the remote far north-east of the federation whose numbers are being further depleted by Vladimir Putin’s war.

[...]

"Recruits from a #ReindeerHerding community around 2,000 miles from the frontline are among those who have been conscripted or promised large payments to join the Kremlin’s war machine.

"The fate of those being mobilised, who are mainly drawn from the north, Siberia and far east, was revealed last week by the testimony of a 19-year-old soldier taken prisoner by Ukraine."

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/society-culture-and-history/general/the-indigenous-people-breathing-last-breath-in-putin-s-war-4-000-miles-from-home/ar-AA1zZCzT
#Putin #IndigenousPeoples #Persecution #Genocide #Oppression #SamiPeoples #PutinsWar

From 2021: #Indigenous Leaders Speak Out About #Criminalization and #Silencing by #Putin Administration

"Indigenous organizations in Russia, allied organizations, and #CulturalSurvival have released an Open Letter to the Putin administration sounding an alarm about the growing intimidations and reprisals against #IndigenousActivists and rights defenders in Russia.

"These attacks are exemplified by the recent illegal detention of activist #AndreiDanilov (#Sámi) in the #Murmansk region. Danilov, Director of the Sámi Heritage and Development Foundation, was detained on August 29, 2021. Andrei Danilov was unlawfully detained by the police after, fearing for his safety, he refused to present his belongings for inspection without witnesses. He was detained for five days, charged with 'failure to comply with the lawful order of a police officer.'

"Danilov’s arrest is just one of the latest incidents in a series of acts of harassment against Indigenous activists and rights defenders in Russia in recent years. Days before, another Indigenous rights defender #StepanPetrov was declared a 'foreign media acting as a foreign agent' in the Republic of #Sakha on August 20, 2021. The 2012 Russian law on foreign agents, originally created to restrict international funding to Russian NGOs, is now being used to target individuals. Stepan Petrov (Sakha) is the first Indigenous person in Russia to receive the 'foreign agent' label. Petrov chairs the nonprofit group #Yakutia – Our Opinion, which is well-known in the region of the Republic of Sakha for their human rights work. The activist submitted numerous appeals to the United Nations calling on the Russian government to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (#UNDRIP) and to support civil society in Russia."

Read more:
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/indigenous-leaders-speak-out-about-criminalization-and-silencing-putin-administration
#Putin #IndigenousPeoples #Persecution #Genocide #RepublicOfSakha #Oppression #SamiPeoples