Buryatia and the High Toll of Russia’s War in Ukraine on Ethnic Minorities

Duration:42:57Posted date/time:
Protest in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has highlighted some of its own domestic problems. One of them is the uneven economic development of Russian regions and another is the unfair treatment of ethnic minorities. The Republic of Buryatia, a region in East Siberia, has been under the spotlight since February 2022, because of what looks like disproportionate representation of Buryats among the ranks of Russian soldiers. In this episode of The Russia File, Nina Rozhanovskaya talks with Buryat activist and research scientist Maria Vyushkova (University of Notre Dame) about Buryat history and identity, Russia’s discriminatory mobilization policies, and the effects of the war in Ukraine on indigenous groups and ethnic minorities. 

Show Notes: 

Time Stamps:

01:09—Stalin’s “gerrymandering” of Buryatia and its consequences.

03:44—Endangered status of the Buryat language, the importance of studying Buryat history and culture in school, and the dangers of discussing colonization.

07:51—The mission of the Free Buryatia Foundation.

09:42—Research on ethnic inequalities among Russian military casualties.

12:46—Possible reasons for disproportionate losses among Buryats during Russia’s war against Ukraine.

17:02—Debunking the myth that ethnic Buryats were responsible for the Bucha massacre.

19:17—The story of “Putin’s militant Buryats” and why Buryats became the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

21:57—Political climate of the Republic of Buryatia.

25:22—Public sentiment and Buryats’ reluctance to participate in the invasion of Ukraine.

28:21—Buryats finding refuge from mobilization in Mongolia. 

29:46—Barbaric mobilization methods, ethnic discrimination, and deliberate targeting of vulnerable minorities.

36:01—Buryat activists’ disillusionment with both Putin’s regime and Russian opposition; revival of an independence movement.

38:42—Russian authorities’ attempts to interfere with the work of the Free Buryatia Foundation.

40:52—Vision of the future for Buryatia. 

Episode Transcript

Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.   Read more

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