In the latest chapter of Russia’s “garbage protests” saga, people in the Komi Republic protested against a local landfill project. The Republic’s head Vladimir Uyba, referred to the project’s opponents as “ecological garbage” – and it backfired.

For years, the Siberian city of Tomsk was one of Russia’s last remaining strongholds of local self-governance. But the recent decision by authorities in the Tomsk region to cancel mayoral elections in the capital city now puts this reputation in the past.

Ceyda Giray cites several factors – economic, political and geographic – to explain why the mobilization has proceeded in a more orderly way and provoked considerably less protest activity in Tatarstan versus other Russian regions.

Gulnaz Sibgatullina warns against assumptions that regions like Tatarstan univocally support the idea of complete independence from Russia as a means of protecting their minority rights. Profound decolonization for Tatars implies a long-term process of relearning their own history and agency.

Infographics are based on Rosstat data

Farida Kurbangaleeva spoke with representatives of the local academic community in Kazan and the independent student media project Storm about government pressure, silent protest, and how the university administration is cooperating with law enforcement.

The famous Russian journalist Alexey Pivovarov and his Redaktsiya team traveled to Kaliningrad and Novosibirsk to see how the war and sanctions are being felt in Russia’s provinces.

Adam Lenton on how Russification continues to erode the rich linguistic landscape of the North Caucasus, while private citizens are stepping in with innovative solutions such as Avzag, a multi-language dictionary of Caucasian languages.

According to Nadezhda Zamyatina, a leading researcher at the Department of Socio-Economic Geography of Foreign Countries of the Moscow State University Geography Faculty, Nenets Autonomous Okrug is among Russia’s most ready regions “for experiments and the introduction of modern best practices for economic and innovative development.”

Sarah Lindemann-Komarova on how the “special military operation” and sanctions are seen in the Russian provinces and how Siberians continue to live their lives and demonstrate resilience.

Gulnaz Sibgatullina on how the cultural scene of ethnic minorities has confronted the ethnocentrism of Russianess long before the war and how it has attempted to contribute to a decentering of what it means to be Russian.

Victor Shnirelman explains the popularity of the civilizational discourse among the Russian military, security and clergy as a response to globalization, which threatens their political sovereignty.

Abbas Gallyamov writes that the war in Ukraine is starting to disappear from the front pages and soon the economy, living standards and social problems will again be in the spotlight. This represents an opportunity to criticize Putin.

Marlene Laruelle and Kelian Sanz Pascual on the cinematic universe of the PMC Wagner and how pop culture frames are used to promote and celebrate a mercenary realm favorable to Russia.