Tag: ethnic groups in Russia

Ethnicity Plays a Lesser Role in Regionalism in Russia than Many Assume, Shtepa Says

November 10, 2015

Staunton, November 9 – Most people who predict the disintegration of the Russian Federation focus on ethnicity, but in fact, as the situation in Karelia shows, ethnicity plays a much smaller role in mobilizing the population to defend itself against Moscow than do competitive elections, Vadim Shtepa says. “Real regionalism,” the Karelian activist and commentator […]

Russian Senator Wants to Restore Nationality Line in Russian Passports

February 5, 2015

Staunton, February 4 – A proposal by Federation Council member Zhanna Ivanova to restore a nationality line in Russian passports has sparked concern among many who remember how such a line was used against Jews in Soviet times, worry that it may become a test of loyalty under Putin, and amusement about how Russians might […]