Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine has Led Many Komis to Become More Attached to Their Language, Their Republic and Their National Identity, New Survey Finds

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Mar. 26 – Putin’s expanded invasion of Ukraine since 2022 has led many Komis to become more attached to their language, their republic and their national identity, according to a necessarily unrepresentative survey of 30 members of that Finno-Ugric nationality carried out by the Komi Daily portal.

            One responded to the open-ended questions by saying that Putin’s move prompted him to re-think his relationship to his language, his republic and his national identity, the portal reports. Another wrote back that “after 2022, I began to value the fact that I am a Komi” (komidaily.com/2026/03/26/komi-ne-yazyk-suvenir/).

            In these responses, the portal said, Putin’s invasion has had a “direct” effect on Komis who are now revising their views about a civic Russian identity and now are trying to view “Komi not as ‘a region of Russia’ but as a space with its own history, culture and right to a separate voice.”

            Now, whenever anyone asks “where are you from?” one of the respondents said, “I want to respond not ‘from Russia’ but ‘from the Komi Republic.” Another said he was proud when he could say that the Komi Republic was among those regions which voted against the amendments to the Constitution in 2020.”

            The survey  also provides details on the experiences of its respondents about when they first felt shame about being Komi, how they overcame that feeling, and how they believe they should promote their language and identity in the future. Among the most interesting response was one suggesting the Komis should follow the course set by Tatarstan.