Republican Movement of Karelia

Regionalist party in Russia

Republican Movement of Karelia

Republican Movement of Karelia
Республиканское движение Карелии
Karjalan Tasavallan Liike
Karjalan Tazavallan Liike

Darker version of the 1918 Otava flag used by the organization

Formation| January 10, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-01-10)
Founder| Vadim Vladimirovich Shtepa
Dissolved| August 14, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-08-14)
Purpose| Regionalism
Separatism
Federalism
Confederalism
Location|

* Republic of Karelia, Russia

Leader| Emelyanova Ekaterina Valentinovna
since 2016
Website| https://free-karelia.org/

The Republican Movement of Karelia (Russian: Республиканское движение Карелии) or Karelian Republican Movement (Finnish: Karjalan Tasavallan Liike; Karelian: Karjalan Tazavallan Liike) or RMK was a Karelian regionalist and separatist organization founded by a Russian philosopher and author Vadim Vladimirovich Shtepa and registered in January 2014.[1][2]

The organization became inactive after Vadim Shtepa was arrested in December 2015[3] and was dissolved in August 2019.[1]

## History

[edit]

Vadim Vladimirovich Shtepa, the founder of the RMK

The RMK started off as an internet forum about separatism and regionalism in the late 2000s[4] but later registered as a public organization on 10 January 2014.[1]

The organization participated in various protests, such as protests for the transfer of jurisdiction of the Kizhi Pogost back from the Russian Ministry of Culture[5] to the government of the Republic of Karelia[6] and the protest against visa-free travel between Russia and Central Asian countries.[7] And protests against the former head of the Republic of Karelia, Aleksandr Hudilainen.[8]

The RMK also focused on expanding and popularizing Karelian culture with projects such as National Kyykkä Assoсiation[9] and Onegaborg radio, which only broadcast songs from Karelia.[10]

The organization also had candidates during the 2014 Petrozavodsk city council election but did not secure any seats.[11][12]

On 4 December 2015, Vadim Shtepa was arrested for distribution of extremist materials on the same day an article was posted on Respublika, the news website of the government of the Republic of Karelia, where the Head of the Republic of Karelia, Aleksandr Hudilainen, condemns Shtepa of extremism, saying that “extremists will have no will either in Petrozavodsk or in Karelia”.[3][13] After this incident, Vadim Shtepa moved to Estonia.[14]

The organization continued to legally exist under the leadership of Emelyanova Ekaterina Valentinovna until its liquidation on 14 August 2019.[1] It was almost completely inactive, but in 2017 the movement introduced three bills to the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia, which suggested the use of the languages of the indigenous Baltic-Finnish peoples of Karelia in the ballots during elections, but the proposal was rejected.[15]

## Goals

[edit]

RMK was created as an organization that aimed to gain more autonomy for the Republic of Karelia as a part of the Russian Federation, however, some local journalists and politicians believed that it was separatist in nature.

Other goals included the creation of a multi-cultural state of Russians, Karelians, Finns, Vepsians, Zaonezhians, Pomors and other ethnic groups of Karelia;[7][16] creation of parliamentary republic and diversification of the economy;[17] renaming of streets and cities to more Karelian names;[18][19] liquidation of "United Russia" in Karelia and the law enforcement agencies serving it; revival of the transboundary project "Euroregion Karelia"; ecological protection and technological modernization of the country.[20]

The organization supported the ideas of civic nationalism and opposed ethnonationalism.[2]

The movement rejected the idea of unifying with Finland, seeing it as "a colony wanting to change its overlord".[20]

## See also

[edit]

* Karelian National Movement
* Separatism in Russia
* Regionalism

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "РЕГИОНАЛЬНАЯ ОБЩЕСТВЕННАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ В ПОДДЕРЖКУ ОСНОВ ФЕДЕРАЛИЗМА И ГРАЖДАНСКОГО ОБЩЕСТВА "РЕСПУБЛИКАНСКОЕ ДВИЖЕНИЕ КАРЕЛИИ"" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
2. ^ a b ""Нужны не земли, а люди". Может ли Карелия отделиться от России?". Север.Реалии (in Russian). 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
3. ^ a b Kryzhanovskaya, Anastsia (4 December 2015). "Глава Карелии: экстремистам не будет воли ни в Петрозаводске, ни в Карелии" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
4. ^ "Free Karelia" (in Russian). 24 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
5. ^ Trunov, Alexei (21 October 2019). "Кижи, которые не принадлежат Карелии" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
6. ^ "Кижский пикет "Свободной Карелии"" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
7. ^ a b "Регионалисты на митинге националистов" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
8. ^ Резунков, Виктор (2015-04-13). "Карелия бурлит". Радио Свобода (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-05-23.
9. ^ "Национальная ассоциация игры в карельские городки - кююккя" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
10. ^ "РАДИО ОНЕГАБОРГ" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
11. ^ "СМИ: В Петрозаводске кандидаты, сделавшие ставку на конфронтационный блок, потерпели поражение — Последние новости Петрозаводска и Карелии | КарелИнформ". karelinform.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-05-23.
12. ^ "Программа кандидатов РДК на выборах в Петросовет" (in Russian). 29 July 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
13. ^ "Суд Петрозаводска арестовал Вадима Штепу" (in Russian). 4 December 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
14. ^ Potashov, Valeryi (9 March 2016). "Вадим Штепа: "Ситуация в Карелии – абсолютно ненормальная и репрессивная"" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
15. ^ Поташов, Валерий (2017-04-07). "Карельскому, вепсскому и финскому языкам не оставляют места в избирательных бюллетенях в Карелии?". Черника (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-05-23.
16. ^ "МАНИФЕСТ ГРУППЫ" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
17. ^ "Основные положения о структуре и деятельности правительства суверенной Республики Карелия" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
18. ^ "Проект переименования (возвращения имён) улиц городов Карелии" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
19. ^ "Карта Свободной Карелии" (in Russian). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
20. ^ a b Nikorov, Oleksandr (27 February 2016). "Когда развалится Россия: Воссоединятся ли братские Финляндия и Карелия". Depo.ua. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Separatist and autonomist movements in Russia

Protests|

* 2024 Bashkortostan protests
* 2022 North Caucasian protests
* 2022 Russian Far East protests
* 2020 Kashtau mountain protests
* 2018–2019 Ingushetia protests
* 2018-2020 Shies protests
* 2014 Movement for Federalization of Siberia

Unrest and conflicts|

* March 2024 western Russia incursion
* Belarusian and Russian partisan movement (2022–present)
* Chechen–Russian conflict
* 2014 Grozny clashes
* 2010 Tsentoroy attack
* 2007 Zhani-Vedeno ambush
* January 2005 Dagestan Raids
* 2005 raid on Nalchik
* 2004 raid on Avtury
* 2004 raid on Grozny
* 2004 Nalchik raid
* 2004 Nazran raid
* 2002 Grozny OMON ambush
* East Prigorodny conflict
* Insurgency in the North Caucasus
* Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus

Terrorist attacks after 2017|

* 2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing
* Kizlyar church shooting

Coalitions|

* Civic Council
* Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum
* Free Nations League
* Idel-Ural
* Congress of the Peoples of the North Caucasus

Current organizations|

| Separatist|

* Adat People's Movement
* All-Tatar Public Center
* Committee of Bashkir Resistance
* Free Ingria
* Ingush Independence Committee
* Ittifaq Party
* Karelian National Movement
* Oirat-Kalmyk People's Congress
* Respublika Movement
* International Circassian Council

|

Autonomist|

* Free Buryatia Foundation

Inactive organizations|

* Baltic Republican Party
* Caucasus Emirate
* Imam Shamil Battalion
* Transformation of Ural
* Republican Movement of Karelia
* Far-Eastern Republican party

Active armed groups and units|

* Ajnad al-Kavkaz
* Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion
* Islamic State – Caucasus Province
* Imam Shamil Dagestan Battalion
* Junud al-Makhdi
* Karelian Group
* Khamzat Gelayev Battalion
* Separate Special Purpose Battalion
* Sibir Battalion

People|

* Akhmed Zakayev
* Fauziya Bayramova
* Batyr Boromangnaev
* Fail Alsynov
* Rafis Kashapov
* Said-Khasanom Abumuslimov
* Vadim Shtepa
* Vladislav Ammosov

Related|

* 1992 Tatarstani sovereignty referendum
* Balkar and Karachay nationalism
* Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
* Circassian nationalism
* Erzyan Mastor
* International Legion
* Oyda
* Pan-Turkism
* Siberian regionalism
* Siberian Republic
* Tatar nationalism
* Turanism
* Ural Republic

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