Russia Blocks Circassians Return to Their Homeland
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 20 Issue: 145
In recent months, tensions have been mounting between Moscow and the Circassian diaspora (see EDM, May 19, 23). The Circassian national movement has gained traction in promoting the Circassian language and encouraging a return to its historical homeland in the North Caucasus. Yet, the Kremlin has increasingly sought to block such efforts. Following the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, Russian officials denied the Circassians displaced during the disaster a simplified procedure for returning to their homeland and obtaining citizenship (Kavkaz.Realii, May 1). In 1864, the Circassians were forcibly exiled by the Russian Empire, and their lands resettled by other ethnic groups. The Russian Federation has never recognized the exiled population as compatriots and denies their right to return to the North Caucasus. Read more
