Since 2022 the Russian government has carried out an aggressive forced-mobilization campaign targeting the Indigenous peoples of Siberia, the North and the Far East. Independent monitoring shows that draft quotas in many Indigenous villages exceed those in central Russian regions by several hundred percent. Entire settlements are losing up to one-third of their working-age population.

At the same time Moscow has escalated political repression:

On 22 November 2024 the Russian Supreme Court branded 172 Indigenous NGOs “terrorist” or “extremist” simply for opposing the war.

Activists who speak out are arrested, tortured or slapped with fabricated criminal cases.

Indigenous news portals are blocked; community leaders are forced into exile.

These actions violate:

Article 27, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Articles 2 & 27, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The spirit of ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

We therefore demand:
An independent international investigation into forced mobilization and repression of Russia’s Indigenous peoples.

Immediate pressure on the Russian government to halt the draft of Indigenous men and to lift the “extremist” labels on their NGOs.

Targeted sanctions against officials responsible for ethnic discrimination and political persecution.

Creation of humanitarian parole & resettlement programs for Indigenous activists and families at risk.

By signing you stand with the Buryat, Yakut, Saami, Nenets, Chukchi, Ket, Udege, Nivkh and many other Indigenous peoples whose cultures—and lives—are under threat.

Every signature is a voice against ethnic persecution and militarization, and a vote for Indigenous peoples’ right to live in peace and preserve their identity.

Why this is important

Indigenous peoples make up less than 0.5% of the Russian population, but their losses in the war are disproportionately high.

Recognizing their organizations as “undesirable” automatically criminalizes any participation in cultural events or human rights work.

Historically small ethnic groups have already experienced deportations, linguistic oppression, and environmental disasters; the current mobilization threatens their very existence.

Thank you for adding your signature and amplifying Indigenous voices!