However, the national movements of Russia have not forgotten the history of Russia’s repeated rejection of federalism. “We want to leave the empire,” says Bashkir nationalist Ruslan Gabbasov ...

Scotland, independence and its role in de-colonising Russia “We cannot really know what people are thinking because they could be put down as traitors to the state,” she said.

According to researchers at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank in Washington, D.C., these secessionist movements have gained support from Russian accounts on social media.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on February 24, 2022. Ukraine has been invaded by Russia in a pre-dawn attack. Up to 190,000 Russian troops were positioned near Ukraine's ...