Belarus’ opposition youths call on USA, Europe to recognize independence of Mari El

Flag of Mlady Front

Malady Front (Young Front), Belarus’ Czech-registered opposition youth group, has called on the United States and Europe to recognize the independence of Russia’s regions of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.

Malady Front In its statement issued on August 27, Malady Front condemns what it calls Russia’s imperial ambitions and “violent and armed invasion” of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the organization says are part of sovereign Georgia.

Mari naive artist Nikolay Almanov

Nikolay Almanov was born in the village of Zapolnye Pertnury in the Hill-Mari district of the Republic of Mari El in 1953.

After high school, Almanov entered the Kozmodemyansk Art School. In 1984, he graduated from the Yoshkar-Ola Art College.

Academic from Helsinki feels right at home in northernmost Lapland

Pekka Sammallahti

Pekka Sammallahti is researching the Sámi language and lives in Utsjoki, where one hears Sámi everywhere
A narrow winding forest road diverges from the main road between Utsjoki and Nuorgam, the northernmost village in Finland.

Moscow’s Russification Policies Lead Non-Russians to Cooperate

Moscow’s increasingly harsh assimilatory policies, welcomed by many ethnic Russians as a defense of their dominance, not only are angering members of non-Russian groups but leading various minority groups to cooperate in new ways, a development that has the potential to become a nightmare for the central authorities.