1.
Problems of Russians
Beyond Russia
Russian Minorities in CA
Halamgul Farhad
ICP 111

2.
Content:
 Problems if Russian Minorities in
CA:
Migration Flow
Cultural and Political Restrictions:
Education Policies
 Citizenship Policies
Lack of Access to Russian Media
Conclusion

3.
Migratory Flow?

4.
Continued…
 Highest figure: 28% migrants from
Kazakhstan in 2000 in former
Soviet territory
 Between 1989 and 1999
Russians decreased in number
from 6 million to 4.5 million
 Reason:
◦ Worries concerning stability

5.
Cont…
 Result of linguistic nationalization
 Degradation of Education System
(material, language, personnel)
 Ethnic preference in employment_
Nationalized
 Problem with migration
◦ Statelessness _ 23% in Uzbekistan
considered themselves as Soviets or
stateless in 1990s.
◦ Social / Economic problems

6.
Cultural and Political Restrictions:
◦ “The friendship of the people” Granted
culture rights to minorities, except TK
 The situation improved after Niyazov’s death
◦ Russian _ solely folkloric
◦ UZ: Many centers but limited to Tashkent
◦ Cultural Organizations’ autonomy is
restricted
◦ TJK: Russian Army
◦ KG: higher degree of activity
 More than 25 associations registered, but not
active politically

7.
 Lack of strong Russian leader
 UZB and TK
◦ No opposition parties can exist
◦ Ethnic minorities do not have the right to political
organization.
◦ UZB 5 out of 250_ don’t not present minorities_ member of
presidential party
◦ TK: Parliament member_ traced back at least 3 generation
 TJK and KG
◦ Russian associations stay within the realms of community
and cultural life
◦ Tjk_ no Russian parliament member.
◦ No participation in political activity
◦ KZ: Russian Political Domain _ collapsed in later 1990s
 True political life in 1990
 Lad_ 1994 won 80 percent of local position in cities…

8.
Dual-citizenship Issues
 Importance of dual citizenship due to
instability
 KZ, KG, and UZ refused to recognize dual
citizenship
◦ Interference of Moscow in domestic affairs
◦ KG, KZ signed accord with Russian
◦ October1990, Kazakhs as the “constituent
nation of the state”
 TK: Dual-citizenship within framework of
agreement with Russian, 1993
◦ 2003, Obliged to choose one citizenship
◦ Non-Turkmen cannot compete in presidential
elections
 TJK: Const 1995: exception for states that
signed specific treaties

9.
Access to Russian Media:
 KG: Bilingualism, many Russian
channels, newspapers, books come
from Russia
 TJK: Less accessed by population
because of the location
 KZ: No Russian TV/ radio broadcast, no
newspaper
 UZ: Antennae channels were prohibited
in 1990s
◦ On accessed through satellite or cable
◦ No Russian newspapers
◦ Limited Russian books are available in large
cities

10.
Cont…
 TK: Broadcast prohibited in
1994, except ORT channel
◦ Only by satellite antennae by middle class
◦ Newspaper closed except Neitral'nye
Turkmenistan
◦ Russian publications forbidden since
2002

11.
Conclusion:
 Rights or Russian minorities have
been violated
 There is less attention of Russian
gov’t
 The authoritarian regimes are putting
more restrictions

12.
Resources:
 Peyrouse, Sabastien.“The Russian
Minority in Central Asia:
Migration, Politics, and Language.”
Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars.
 Laruelle, Marlene. “Russia in Central
Asia: Old History, New Challenges?”
EUCAM. Sep.2009