Hello!

I'm Maxim Polyakov, a correspondent for the online magazine ‘7x7’.

The Republic of Bashkortostan, a large Russian region situated in the southern part of the Ural mountains, seems to be embroiled in a new significant criminal case involving supporters of the eco-activist Faily Alsynov. On the day Alsynov was sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly inciting hatred towards specific ethnic groups, thousands of people gathered at the courthouse. Residents of Bashkortostan are convinced that the activist's case has political motivations, leading to clashes between the demonstrators and riot police upon the announcement of the verdict. Now, several dozen individuals also face the prospect of imprisonment. 

In this newsletter, I will delve into the various stages of Alsynov's case, the involvement of the head of the Republic, who previously worked in the Kremlin, and the authorities' decision to quell unrest in the region through a severe scenario – by initiating a new major criminal case.

The Chain of Events

• The initiation of the legal case against Alsynov is connected to his 2023 speech at a gathering in Ishmurzino village in Bashkortostan. During the event, Alsynov opposed the plans of a major gold mining company to start operations near the settlement, employing non-local workers. This would result in the locals being deprived of both employment and natural resources. Alsynov expressed it as follows: "Armenians will return to their homeland, kara khalyk – back to where they come from, Russians – to Ryazan, Tatars – to Tatarstan."
• Ainur Khuzhakhmetov, a specialist from Ufa University of Science and Technology, who translated Alsynov's words from Bashkir to Russian, indicated that the phrase 'kara khalyk' means 'black folk' and serves as a derogatory term for residents of Central Asia, similar to the n-word in English. However, according to the 'Tatar Encyclopedia,' 'kara khalyk' literally means 'mob.' Alsynov's supporters insisted that he used this term as a synonym for 'commoners' or 'peasants.'
• The head of the Republic, Radiy Khabirov, personally lodged a complaint against Alsynov with the police. Khabirov, who previously worked in the presidential administration, is believed to have extensive contacts and political influence.
• The final hearings in Alsynov's case occurred on January 15. The verdict was anticipated on the same day, following the activist's closing statement. However, the judge postponed the announcement for two days, purportedly due to the presence of several thousand supporters of Alsynov at the courthouse.

Clashes with the Riot Police

On January 17, an even larger crowd gathered at the courthouse to hear the verdict. According to various sources, their numbers ranged from 3,000 to 5,000. Upon learning that Alsynov had been sentenced to 4 years in prison, they began shouting 'Shame!' and engaging in altercations with the police. Here is how the events unfolded:

• Law enforcement started detaining people who had gathered around the court. In response, the demonstrators began throwing snow and chunks of ice at the police. A woman present at the scene described it to '7x7' as follows: "People of all ages participate in the clashes, but mostly young and middle-aged men hold the defense lines. Children and the elderly were asked to move away. Those defending sometimes step back to get warm, then return. They are waiting for Alsynov, presumably wanting to save him from law enforcement. Men say they would rather turn the bus upside down than allow Fail to be taken away."
• Later on, protesters and the police engaged in physical confrontations. Security forces dispersed tear gas and used stun grenades. Several people were detained and taken to a police vehicle. Alsynov’s father initiated negotiations with the police and suggested ending the protest in exchange for the release of those already detained.
• Simultaneously, several independent Telegram channels covering the events in Bashkortostan were cleared of all posts. The same fate befell the channel of the media project RusNews, whose representative was near the courthouse and published videos of the fights. Experts interviewed by '7x7' are uncertain about what happened to these Telegram channels. Access to some of them was restored in the evening of the same day.
• Six individuals detained during the clashes with the police were sentenced to 13 days in jail.

Why This Happened

My colleagues spoke to a woman who was present during the riots and agreed to discuss the events in Bashkortostan on the condition of anonymity. I am quoting her words with slight abbreviations:

"Discontent with the head of the Republic, Radiy Khabirov, has been building up for some time. Our region appears to be descending into some kind of chaos. Khabirov began distributing land to non-locals for mining, always accompanied by violations.

In response, the locals started raising their voices and protesting against what was happening. Our primary demand is the release of Fail Alsynov, whose case, as most residents of Bashkortostan believe, was concocted under Khabirov's orders.

For some reason, Khabirov believes that he can win people's love by suppressing them. This is typical abuser behavior, aligning with the well-known Russian saying 'If he beats you, then he loves you.' However, in doing so, he only fuels the hatred that the people of Bashkortostan feel toward him."

What Is Going On Now

A few days after the incidents at the courthouse, the police began visiting participants in the clashes and summoned them for questioning. The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case under the charge of mass riots.

Over the past 10 years, Russia has witnessed several prominent criminal cases. Their scenarios seem quite similar: identify a few dozen participants in the clashes, convict them to long prison terms, and use propaganda media to cover the case. TV propagandists have already started suggesting that the participants in the clashes received orders from foreign intelligence services, with their goal being to overthrow Putin's regime.

Everything points to the events following the protests in Bashkortostan unfolding according to this script. There are many indirect signs of this, but I would like to specifically highlight the involvement of pro-government media.

Two days ago, Radiy Khabirov held a meeting with the 'region’s residents.' The recording of this event was distributed by the governor’s press office. The video features Khabirov and about twenty other men in a small room, with only one of them speaking, expressing support for the Republic head in his fight against extremists.

During this conversation, Khabirov once again labeled Alsynov’s supporters as ‘traitors’ and promised to take ‘extremely severe actions.’ "They are being detained by security forces, and it puts a cross on their future careers. If an individual has faced accusations based on an extremism article, they don’t have any future ahead of them. The same stands for those who have been accused of participating in illegal riots," elaborated Khabirov.

Similar words were spoken by Vladimir Putin ahead of the hearings on the Bolotnaya Square case. Eventually, defendants in the case were sentenced to several years in prison. I have no doubts that the events in Bashkortostan will follow the same path. Quite soon, we will witness new criminal cases emerging, this time against those who took to the streets to express their disagreement with Fail Alsynov’s verdict.

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