De-Imperialization and De-Colonization of Russia Absolutely Necessary but Disintegration of That Country Not Currently Possible, Shtepa Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Aug. 6 – Vadim Shtepa, one of the leading theorists of regionalism in the the Russian Federation, argues that the de-imperialization and de-colonization of the Russian Federation are absolutely necessary for that country to progress but that conditions do not currently exist for disintegration to be the path toward those goals.

            Not only are most Russians horrified by the idea of disintegration and ready to back those like Putin who say they are committed to defending the territorial integrity of the country , the editor of the Tallinn-based Region.Expert portal says (mostmedia.org/ru/posts/pochemu-raspad-rossii-segodnja-vygljadit-nevozmozhnym and region.expert/raspad-2/).

            But the federal subjects, both predominantly ethnic Russian oblasts and krays and non-Russian republics and other autonomies do not have the active political parties and genuine legislatures that these places did in the late 1980s which calls for self-determination possible if not ultimately successful.

            All the current governors are appointees of the Kremlin, something very different from the conditions of 1991, and all the regional parliaments are “dominated” by the ruling and pro-Kremlin United Russia, given that regional parties have been banned in the Russian Federation since 2001.

            Moreover, unlike at the end of Soviet times when the non-Russians formed nearly half of the population, today, the non-Russians form only half that share at best; and they have not shown themselves willing to adopt radical positions. Only those in emigration are able to do so; and they have far less influence than media coverage, Shtepa suggests.

            What that means is this, he continues. Residents of Russia’s federal subjects should be working to promote regionalism and democracy rather than thinking they can achieve their goals via independence. That won’t happen without these intermediate steps; and those are why people beyond the ring road should be focusing on.

            Until that shift takes place, all the talk about disintegration of the Russian Federation will remain at best wishful thinking that is unlikely to have any serious impact on life in the Russian Federation beyond leading Russians to rally around the Kremlin and opening the way to more repression against them and the non-Russians alike.