Yashin Says New Federation Treaty Must Give Regions and Republics Right to Leave But Doubts Any ‘Really Want to Separate’

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 7 – Ilya Yashin, a Russian politician now in exile, says that any new federation treaty must include provisions that give regions and republics the right to leave if they want to but adds that at present he does not see that Tatarstan or any other region really wants to separate.”

            His position about a future federation treaty is something many regional and republic activists will welcome, but his dismissive attitude about their lack of any real interest in seeking to go their own way will only deepen the divide between the Russian opposition and the regions and republics (idelreal.org/a/ilya-yashin-novyy-federativnyy-dogovor-dolzhen-predusmatrivat-pravo-vyhoda-iz-sostava-rossii/33150135.html).

            Nonetheless, Yashin’s words are important because they suggest that within the Moscow centric Russian opposition in emigration there is an increasing recognition that republics and regions must have the right to leave if Russia is to be a real federation even though this opposition still overwhelmingly believes that the country will remain in one piece.