URALIC Centre's Blacklist: Explanatory Note
Why this blacklist?
The main objective of URALIC Centre's blacklist is to document, which Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic (i.e., Uralic) public figures - politicians, administrators, civic and cultural leaders, etc. - expressed support for the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. At URALIC we believe that as a result of this war, which has already caused enormous losses and suffering for the Ukrainian people, but also for the peoples of Russia, the entity currently known as the Russian Federation will have to undergo complete restructuring which may require its dissolution into multiple sovereign states.
We cannot imagine how the people who have expressed support for this war will remain in position of leadership and responsibility in the post-war and post-Putin Russia, or whatever emerges in its place, similarly to how it happened with the leaders and helpers of the National Socialist party in Germany after World War Two. This is why the blacklist is primarily meant for the future after the war, after Putin and Putin's regime.
But this list has also a more short-term and pragmatic goal. URALIC wished that governments and civil society of Finno-Ugric states of the European Union (in particular, Estonia and Finland), as well as the authorities of Ukraine, would have comprehensive information about Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic public figures who supported the war against Ukraine. We believe that such a position not only excludes them from future participation in the international Finno-Ugric movement, but that it may also restrict their possibilities to stay on the territory of Ukraine and the European Union. We also think that representatives of Russia's indigenous peoples who have publicly supported the war against Ukraine do not deserve opportunities to work as independent experts or employees of the United Nations system and other international organisations.
We hope that this list will help Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic public figures more aware of the meaning and weight of their statements with respect to the war on Ukraine. As a result we would like to see fewer such statements, and even better if there would be none. Who if not Finno-Ugrians should be the peoples who should understand especially well that one should not wage war with kindred peoples, should not destroy them? Let this, and not cowardly statements of solidarity with Putin, be our common message.
Who is in the list?
The current blacklist includes public figures from Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic (i.e. Uralic) peoples who have publicly and unambigously expressed support for the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. This support may manifest itself in signing a collective letter, giving an interview, making a public post in social media or developing a cultural/creative product (e.g., a music performance) in support of the war. The list also includes representatives of any peoples of Russia, including ethnic Russians, who bear direct and personal responsibility for abusing the culture and symbols of Finno-Ugric peoples in the name of the Russian Federation's war propaganda. Nobody has been included in the list for their personal convictions - this does not interest us. But we care about public statements, because namely they help shape collective views and values of our kindred Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic peoples of Russia.
How did we compile the blacklist?
The list has been compiled by the team of URALIC Centre with the support of independent Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic activists from various regions of the Russian Federation. A key element of the list is the links (URLs) to the pro-war statements, which became the main justification for including the particular individual in the lists. Anyone can open these links (though they are in Russian) and draw their own conclusions based on them.
The list
The current English-language version of the blacklist is here. It is being updated periodically based on new information. The Russian-language version of the list is here.
Contact us
If you believe that somebody has been included in the list unfairly, or to the contrary, is missing from the list, please write to us at blacklist@uralic.org.