We are not Russian! We are citizens of the Russian Federation, but we are not Russians. Our people faced violent Russification, Christianization, prohibition of language and culture, deportation, and genocide. And we still don't renounce our name."
On September 26, 2019, Dmitry Trapeznikov was appointed acting head of the Elista city administration at the suggestion of the head of Kalmykia Batu Khasikov and assistant to the President of Russia Vladislav Surkov. The appointment caused public discontent among the residents of Kalmykia due to Trapeznikov's lack of connections with the region. Moreover, in the past, he held leadership positions in the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic, which could not but increase the fears of the Elistians.
Trapeznikov's appointment took place without any coordination with the residents of the city themselves, which only added fuel to the fire of social tension regarding the opacity of political decisions and was perceived by society as Kremlin pressure on the national republic. This is how journalist Badma Burchiev, one of the organizers of the protests against Trapeznikov, says this: "He has (appr. Trapeznikov) had no Russian work experience, legally he could not head Elista. Human rights activist Semyon Ateev proved this in the courts, showing links that Trapeznikov had a fake diploma. And the funniest thing is that at the court's request, Kabardino-Balkar State University told us that Trapeznikov had studied for a master's degree in economics in a month."
The protest movement began with a popular rally on September 29, 2019. Residents of the city gathered in the center of the capital to demand the resignation of Dmitry Trapeznikov. The authorities ignored the demands of the citizens.
On October 1, protesters attended a Buddhist "prayer with elements of a rally" at the Seven Days Pagoda. About 500 people gathered for the prayer rally. The organizers handed out printed prayers, and the participants of the rally prayed for the well-being of the city. Co-organizer of the rally and creator of the 4 Oirad brand, Aldar Erenzhenov remembers that day as follows: "The prayer meeting was significant for me. Because it was opposite the Elista White House and the City Hall. This is a place associated with protests. The pagoda was erected so that people would not gather in the square after the 2004 rally. And it was important for me to put this place together again, to give the place a political life, so that the square would become a place for subjectivity again."
The number of those wishing to join the protest grew. On October 13, about 4,000 people came to a concerted rally in the center of Elista, who expressed dissatisfaction not only with Trapeznikov's appointment but also, in general, with the policy of the head of Batu Khasikov. According to journalist Badma Burchiev, active agitation on social networks and the involvement of the younger generation in the protests helped to gather such several people. So, all live broadcasts of the rallies were broadcast online on the 4Oirad page on Instagram.
"4Oirad had quite a lot of subscribers. And, of course, this was the target audience: young active people who care about the fate of the Kalmyk people," Aldar Erenzhenov explains the reason.
The protest atmosphere heated up. Stickers with the Pagoda and the inscription "Elista is our city!" were pasted all over the city, and Dmitry Sharaev's song "Sertn, sergt khan halmgubbe!" sounded from the car windows. (note translation: "Wake up, be reborn, Kalmyks!"), which organically became an unofficial anthem of protests.
On October 27, about 3,500 people came to the rally. The protesters put forward demands to hold a referendum on the direct election of the mayor, remove Trapeznikov, and dissolve the Elistin Assembly.
On November 17, about 2,000 people came to the next action. Participation in the movement has become a form of civil solidarity for the residents of the republic. For example, after activists began to receive fines and punishments in the form of compulsory labor for participation in rallies, people helped to raise money to pay fines and helped with the execution of punishment by participating in cleaning the city with the activists themselves.
On December 22, the organizers of the protests held the first online meeting in Russia via Zoom, which gathered about 2,200 participants. Badma Burchiev talks about the reason for this format:
"We came up with this form because everyone ready to organize rallies was already brought to administrative responsibility. Repeatedly. There was a law that for repeated violation of the article on "uncoordinated" rallies for a certain period - it is possible to issue fines of one hundred thousand or bring to criminal responsibility. The initiative could not be lost, so we decided to do it online."
The wave of rallies continued in 2020. Thus, on January 5, about 500 people took part in the action, demanding the resignation of Dmitry Trapeznikov and the head of the republic Batu Khasikov, the cessation of the persecution of activists, and the return of direct elections. Almost two months later, on March 3, despite the protests, the deputies of the city assembly supported Trapeznikov, electing him head of the city administration.
On March 14, about 400 people went to the rally in Elista. The protesters demanded the implementation of the law on the rehabilitation of repressed peoples, the resignation of the leadership, and the return of democratic elections for the head of the city.
However, in 2020, the world was captured by the coronavirus epidemic. The pandemic, as the organizers of the rallies say, has limited the protest movement. Any application for the rally was rejected by the authorities due to the "epidemiological situation". Protesters could only participate in single pickets. But even such conditions did not stop the residents of Kalmykia from expressing their civic position.
February 15, 2022, Dmitry Trapeznikov prematurely terminated his powers in connection with the transition to the position of Deputy Head of the Government of Kalmykia. "Although it was a promotion, people achieved what they fought for. - Aldar Erenzhenov shares his opinion. - Now he is not in the Elista mayor's office."
The experience of the protest movement in the republic became a source of inspiration for many creative personalities in Kalmykia. Artists joined the spirit of civil solidarity, reflecting the political events of the republic in their creative works and thus expressing their position on issues important to the people.
One such example was rapper Adyan Ubushaev, known under the pseudonym Bodong. Participating in the protests against Trapeznikov, he also released a song in the Kalmyk language called "Kharachud" (appr. "Black people"). The song contains the following lines: "Өргә дотр суудг сәәчүд ес гиҗ хараачуд?" (lane "Sitting rulers or black people in the palace?"), emphasizing the gap between power and people.
In 2022, artist and director Victoria Sarangova presented the documentary film "Lenin Square. Elista", which tells the history of the main square of the capital of Kalmykia. In this film, Sarangova shows how public space has become a reflection of socio-political and cultural changes. The film uses archival footage from the protests of 2004 and 2019.
"We had a series of lectures on the theory of space, and I remembered how much Lenin Square has changed in my hometown of Elista. Then I found an article by Badma Burchiev about the protests of 2004 and continued to explore how this area is connected with the history of Kalmykia. In 2019, I collected material from the National Archive and the library. And I managed to attend almost every one of the first protests. That's how the movie was born. Initially, the function of the square is a civil meeting. I believe that the function of the square is lost," Victoria Sarangova said at the festival of young Kalmyk cinema (Halmg bakhchudyn kino) OiRADio.
The 4 Oirad brand also found inspiration in the protests. In 2019, the project team released a lookbook called "Protest Autumn Elista 2019". In it, 4Oirad presented a collection of clothes on models posing against the background of protest actions, thereby showing the connection of fashion with political events in the republic. In March 2022, the brand released the merch "Non-Russian" in response to a campaign billboard in the center of Elista with the inscription "I am Kalmyk, but today we are all Russians".
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