Suspicions of "Finno-Ugric conspiracy" in Russia

06.10.05

By Mika Parkkonen

During the autumn, a number of Russian newspapers have been advancing a new conspiracy theory, according to which Finland, Estonia, and Hungary are giving their support to Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia in order to get their hands on the gas, oil, and mineral resources in the areas in which the peoples live.
      Last spring there was extensive coverage in the Finnish and Estonian media about the oppression of the Mari people in their home republic. The controversy became so great that the European Parliament issued a demand to Russia that it treat its Mari better. 
      
The conspiracy theories began emerging in the papers when the Kremlin leaked a speech made in May by Vladislav Surkov, a domestic policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, which he delivered to Russian industrialists. 
      The leak was a response to concerns by Finland, Estonia, and Hungary on the fate of the Mari. The purpose was to cover up the bad situation of the ethnic minority and to cast suspicions on the motives of the countries that have offered their support. 
      The main idea of the theories has been that the aim of the conspirators would be to grab the natural riches of the Ugric regions for a Finno-Ugric great power "that is in the making". 
      According to the stories, Russia's Finno-Ugric areas are the target of a project supported by Finland, Estonia, and Hungary to set up a Greater Finno-Ugria. The topic has even been taken up by the official newspaper of the Russian government, Rossyiskaya Gazeta. 
      
In an article published in early August, the government's newspaper goes through the setup in the Mari elections in December, and the beating of nationalist activist Vladimir Kozlov. According to the article, the beating was politicised because the opposition accused the president in office of being behind the crime. 
      "A nationalist label was placed on the events, which led to an exaggerated scandal in the West, and to accusations against Russia of oppressing national minorities." 
      
The newspaper claimed that Helsingin Sanomat, the Estonian Human Rights Institute, and Finnish and Estonian MEPs brought the matter to the European level, and the European Parliament presented its demands concerning the Mari People to Russia in what amounted to a virtual ultimatum. 
      "It is clear that the accusations were planned in advance. Areas inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples contain 40% of Russia's strategic oil reserves, large bauxite and diamond deposits, and companies of the strategic military industry. For this reason, Russia's competitors in the world economy are interested in national questions", Rossyiskaya Gazeta wrote. 
      According to the newspaper, there are supporters of a Finno-Ugric great power in Russia as well. In March Anatoly Karakchiyev, a renowned politician in the Komi Republic, proposed the unification of four northeastern areas of Russia - Komi, Arkangel, Vologda, and Nenechia - into a single "Northern area". Rossyiskaya Gazeta saw this as a precursor of sorts to an Ugric state. 
      
A week later, Zavtra, a weekly journal put out by Russia's conservative communists, wrote about the same topic, claiming that Finland is supporting the northern areas in order to strengthen their attempts to disengage from the central administration. 
      The communist paper compares the strivings toward autonomy by the Finno-Ugric areas with the bids for independence in trouble-torn republics of the North Caucasus, and concludes that the threat posed by the Ugric areas to Russia's unity is greater than that of the Caucasus. 
      Zavtra justifies its claim by noting that the Ugric people belong to the same ethnic and linguistic group, and that they can therefore understand each other, unlike the peoples in the Caucasus. They also have very similar cultural traditions and customs. 
      "The development of Finno-Ugric language and culture is in full swing in these areas. Finno-Ugric elements have a very strong influence on teaching in schools, because the languages of the nationalities, and even their various dialects, are taught. In addition, these republics hold various seminars of cultural propaganda carried out with the help of federal budget funds", the paper continues. 
      
In the view of Zavtra, Finland, Estonia, and Hungary are supporting the Finno-Ugrics to a "hyper-active" degree, seeing the Russian Finno-Ugric areas as targets of geographical expansion. 
      If Estonia and Hungary manage to restrict their anti-Russian aims to resolutions in the European Parliament, and to visits by ambassadors, Finland is going much further. In the paper's view, a long-standing vengeful campaign has been waged in the Finnish media for years, aimed at restoring the borders of "Greater Finland". 

Source: Helsingin Sanomat - International Edition