Russia's support for separatism in the post-Soviet space is, above all, deadly for Russia itself and this has been evident from the outset.  Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the " grounds" for which was the support of separatism on Ukrainian territory, a war of aggression that threatens the territorial integrity of Russia itself the more it goes on.

With the support of Russia's geopolitical adversaries, the so-called " Forum of the Free Peoples of Russia" was organised. It is "a platform for uniting municipal and regional leaders, members of opposition currents of the Russian Federation, representatives of national movements, activists, expert community and all those to whom the need for immediate transformation of Russia is obvious" - so it is written on its website.  On July 22-24, 2022, the second Forum of the Free Peoples of Russia was held in Prague, the Czech capital (the previous first Forum was held in Warsaw in May this year):

"The welfare, prosperity and future of the 144 million people living in Russia is being destroyed before our eyes by the actions of Putin's top brass and the "elite" close to the Kremlin trough. The current regime in Russia has created an authoritarian system with a thriving metropolis that is siphoning resources from subordinate "colonies" and demands a larger "fodder base. The centre's unbridled appetite and aggressive policies have already resulted in the largest war in Europe in 80 years and the situation is deteriorating out of control. The fates of the peoples not only of Russia but of the entire world are at stake.

The time has come to act and change the situation. Today the natural riches of the regions, the labours and talents of the people on the vast territory serve the interests of Moscow. But the peoples of Russia have the right to self-determination, to a decent future for themselves, their children and grandchildren. People should be in charge of their own lives and find their place in the international community."- Calls on the "Forum of Free Peoples of Russia".

The Prague declaration adopted by the "Forum of Free Peoples of Russia" also calls on members of ethnic groups fighting in the Russian army "in an unjust war against Ukraine" to return home or surrender to the Ukrainian forces. And this call in many ways "hits a sore spot" of the current Russian Federation.

Indeed, for members of national minorities and indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation, it was military service that provided "social lifts" enabling young people in the national republics (many of which are characterized by unemployment and other social problems) to find a decent place in life. Today, however, such "passionate" young people are being thrown by the Kremlin into the "furnace" of the Ukrainian war. This is already becoming a tragedy for many peoples of the Russian Federation.

In particular, Dagestan is one of the leaders in terms of the number of people killed in the Ukrainian war. In fact, this is the second time in the last decade that the gene pool of the Dagestani peoples has been "devastated". The first time was with the outbreak of war in Syria. Then the republic was invaded by illegal recruits of ISIS. Young Dagestanis were lured and recruited to "help their Muslim brothers" in the Middle East. As a result, hundreds of young people were deceived and drawn into the meat grinder of the bloody conflict in Syria and Iraq, and most of them died there, while the miraculously survivors cannot return home because they will be prosecuted in Russia for their membership in the banned ISIS.

Many parents, knowing the sad fate of young men recruited by ISIS, rejoiced when their children went to serve in the Russian Armed Forces under contract. Alas, today many such families are forced to bury their sons who died in Ukraine. And there are hundreds and thousands of such stories in all national regions of Russia. As a result, the question "do our children have to die for such an empire" is increasingly being asked in the national republics.

The longer the war in Ukraine continues, the stronger the "centrifugal" sentiment in the Russian regions, and not only in the North Caucasus. More and more voices for national sovereignty are being heard in the republics of the Volga and Urals, Buryatia, Yakutia and other national entities. Supporters from the centre, dissatisfied with Moscow deciding everything, are also raising their heads in the "Russian" regions themselves. And it is natural that such sentiments are already being exploited by external forces whose plans include the weakening and further dismemberment of Russia itself.

Clearly, the support for separatism in the South Caucasus, which the Russian leadership has been pursuing largely under the pressure of the powerful Armenian lobby (which created the first "Artsakh" precedent for separatism in the post-Soviet space), is "boomerang" and is hitting Russia itself.

The "Forum of Free Peoples of Russia" also publishes maps of the "future partition of the Russian Federation". Here, not only the national regions of the Russian Federation, but also the regions populated primarily by ethnic Russians are turned into "independent states" and "republics". The presence on such a map of the "republic of Kuban", which includes not only the current Krasnodar, but also the Stavropol Territory of the Russian Federation, is very interesting.

It is well known that in these Russian regions the Armenian lobby dominates the economy. And in the coastal areas of Krasnodar Krai (especially around Sochi), and in neighbouring occupied Georgian Abkhazia, Armenians are already beginning to dominate ethnically too.

That is, it is quite possible that in the event that Russia collapses as a result of the "separatist boomerang", those who brought it to ruin, the Armenian nationalists, will get "their" state on the new foreign lands. Far richer and more attractive than the lands of historical West Azerbaijan and Georgian Lori, on which the Republic of Armenia now stands. From this it becomes clear "double game" conducted by many representatives of the "most ancient" people in Russia, who pretend to be "great Russian patriots" but in fact do everything for the collapse and destruction of Russia.

Kavkazplus