The Republic of Tuva is considered a region with one of the highest levels of support from the Russian Federation. However, if we dig deeper, the public reaction of Tuvans to what is happening in the republic and the country is not so unambiguous.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine shocked Tuvan society. From the first day of the war, protests were held in Tuva. A young married couple of Mijits came out to the main square of the capital for a peaceful protest but were soon detained and fined under the law for illegal rallies. The Mizhit family was soon forced to leave the republic due to law enforcement agency threats.
The "Chaa Tyva" ("New Tuva") appeared, fighting Russian propaganda and helping Tuvan soldiers terminate contracts to prevent participation in a full-scale war with Ukraine. The majority of the community has left the country. The participants of the underground resistance remained in Tuva, distributing anti-war newspapers and leaflets.
The most resonant speech against the war in Tuva was a women's peaceful protest in September 2022. Tuvan women organized themselves in social networks to protect their husbands from being mobilized for the war. They hoped that local police wouldn't arrest the women of Tuva, because they could have been sent to war. But these hopes were quickly crushed as these protests were harshly suppressed.
The residents of Tuva have also grown concerned about natural resource exploitation in their republic. At the end of August 2024, a conflict occurred in the Chedi-Khol district of Tuva. Residents strongly opposed the gold exploration in the taiga, fearing devastating environmental consequences. The miner's artel "Oina" planned to start geological exploration on alluvial deposits, but met strong resistance. Residents blocked the bridge, preventing drilling equipment from entering the taiga. Women played a particularly active role in this protest, surrounding the workers, and demanding their explanation of why they had invaded the forests and destroyed the land of Tuva. This protest greatly resonated with Russian authorities and they had to suspend the process.
Since the 19th century, the people of Tuva have defended their rights both through protest movements and direct clashes. Peace-loving by nature, the inhabitants of Tuva are not prone to conflicts. The main obstacle to the protest movements is misleading state propaganda, redirecting public discontent from authorities to other societal communities. When rights restrictions are obvious, protests in Tuva are inevitable. The protest potential of the Tuvan people, along with other national republics of Russia, is quite high.
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