This is the first time that a medium has been declared terrorist in Russia.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has also added the independent regional media platform Komi Daily to the list of terrorist organizations. This is the first case when a medium in Russia has been declared terrorist, Radio Sloboda (RFE/RL) reported on Monday.
The Komi Daily platform is an online website dedicated to culture and life in the Republic of Komi, located in the north of the European part of Russia. He advocates for the autonomy of the Republic of Komi and for revenues from the resources of Komi to remain in the Republic regardless of the form of government.
The authorities in Russia recently blocked the website of the platform, which published a statement condemning the war in Ukraine. The Komi Daily account on the VKontakte network is also unavailable. However, the Komi Daily editorial office is active on Telegram and Instagram and has about 1,500 followers there.
Komi Daily appears in the register of terrorist organizations along with almost 200 organizations and groups that, according to the FSB, are connected to the Forum of Free Nations in the post-Prussian area.
Decolonization of the Russian Federation
The Forum of Free Nations was established in Poland in 2022. In the program documents, the main goal of the Forum of Free Nations is stated to be “the decolonization of the so-called Russian Federation”. Representatives of the Russian political opposition in exile and several organizations of indigenous peoples participate in its work.
The Russian Supreme Court last November – at the request of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office – also designated the Forum of Free Nations as a terrorist organization. Previously, it had the status of “only” a so-called undesirable organization.
According to the FSB, the Forum of Free Nations is an international organization that seeks to divide Russia into many smaller entities; includes numerous indigenous peoples’ self-determination movements; initiatives to study the history, culture and languages of indigenous peoples; regional anti-war movements, as well as military formations from Russian regions fighting in Ukraine on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces.
In response to the latest decision by the Russian authorities, Komi Daily stated that it has no connection with the Forum of Free Nations.
