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Russia
Siberian Separatism Is A Widening Problem For Putin
Is Siberia the only Russian region where the population are unhappy being Moscow’s serfs and cannon fodder — and having their natural resources stolen from under them?
I worked very briefly in Siberia, in Novokuznetsk (Kemerovo Oblast), a heavy industrial city way back in the early ’90s. It was a grim place and the USSR was still in very recent memory. Unsurprisingly, the Western company with which I worked was not willing to exchange an enterprise software package for aluminium saucepans and so my visit was unsuccessful. Cultural evenings revolved around a flask of vodka (at least, I think it was vodka) and I was not aware of Siberian nationalism at that time.
The idea of an independent Siberia, or at least a more autonomous one, has been around for a while. The concept of Siberian regionalism first emerged in the mid-19th century and gained some traction during the Russian Civil War with the White Movement. Since then, there have been various political parties and movements advocating for Siberian autonomy or independence.
Economic disparity is a major driver for this sentiment. Siberia is rich in natural resources, but many Siberians feel like they don’t benefit enough from this wealth, which flows to Moscow. Additionally, some Siberians feel neglected by the central government and desire more control over their own affairs.
Currently, there isn’t one large, unified Siberian separatist movement. Instead, there are regionalist groups and movements throughout Siberia. As you can see above, there are many administrative areas. These groups don’t necessarily advocate for full independence, but rather agitate (if that’s the word) for more autonomy within Russia. The most recent surge in Siberian regionalism happened in the early 2010s, with protests like the “March for Federalization of Siberia”.
Way back in 2014 when Putin made his moves on Lukhansk, Donestk and said he was federalizing them (Crimea was separately annexed), there was a federalization march planned in Novosibirsk, Siberia.
And Moscow freaked out about it.
