On October 26, the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people published the Declaration “On State Independence of the Republic of Kalmykia,” in which it announced the need for “the complete liberation of the Oirat-Kalmyk people from colonial dependence on Russia.” The Congress stated that it would seek the secession of Kalmykia from the Russian Federation, the proclamation and creation of a sovereign independent state.
The Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People is an unregistered opposition organization that considers itself “the only legitimate representative body of the Kalmyk people.” Some members of Congress are in exile.
The authors of the document note that on October 18, 1990, the Supreme Council of the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic adopted the Declaration “On the State Sovereignty of the Kalmyk Soviet Socialist Republic,” which proclaimed the state sovereignty of the Kalmyk SSR throughout its territory and declared the determination to create a democratic rule-of-law state.
However, in all subsequent years, the pro-Kremlin authorities of Kalmykia consistently renounced sovereignty.
The declaration speaks of clear “signs of genocide on the part of Moscow”: “The Russian Federation is pursuing a colonial financial and economic policy that directly impedes the economic development of Kalmykia, as a result of which there is a massive outflow from the republic and a reduction in the number of the Oirat-Kalmyk population. During all the years following the return of the people from deportation, Kalmykia ranks last in the USSR and Russia in terms of the provision of drinking water to the population,” “the territory illegally seized from the Republic of Kalmykia during the deportation of the Oirat-Kalmyk people has not been returned, the exclusion and annexation of territories continues Republic of Kalmykia in favor of neighboring regions of Russia."
“If they continue to be part of Russia, Russification, assimilation, and degradation will continue, which threatens the very existence of the Oirat-Kalmyk people,” the authors of the declaration concluded. Among them are the ex-director of the Center for the Development of the Kalmyk Language Arslang Sandzhiev (after two fines for “fakes” about a military operation in Ukraine, he was forced to leave for the United States), the leader of the regional branch of the Yabloko party Batyr Boromangnaev, activists Vladimir Dovdanov, Erentsen Dolyaev, Albert Sharapov and others.
The declaration speaks not only about the problems of the Oirat-Kalmyk people. Its authors believe that under the conditions of “Putin’s dictatorship there is: insane centralization and militarization of the country; the Kremlin's all-out offensive on the cultures and languages of non-Russian peoples conquered by Russia, the revival of the Russian Empire; regular and cynical violation of generally accepted norms of international law; commission of international crimes and criminal offenses of an international nature.”
On October 2, the President of the Buddhist Association (High Lama) of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche (Erdni Ombadykov) supported Ukraine in the confrontation with the Russian Federation, saying that “there is no need for war in Ukraine, but this country is defending the truth, its land and people.” This is the first public condemnation of the “special operation” in Ukraine by one of the leaders of Buddhism in Russia.
The Supreme Lama of Kalmykia made this statement in Mongolia, where he is organizing assistance to residents of Kalmykia who emigrated from Russia.
Earlier, former President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj said that Russian Buryats, Tuvans and Kalmyks suffered the most from the war in Ukraine. “They were used as cannon fodder. Hundreds are missing. Thousands were killed. We Mongolians will welcome you with open arms and open hearts."