ICPC Statement: Russia’s Mobilization Threatens Indigenous Peoples

Russia’s Mobilization Threatens Indigenous Peoples

Statement by the International Circassian Political Committee (ICPC)

Russia is waging an unjust and imperial war against Ukraine. Ukraine’s strong resistance and growing Western support have caused heavy losses for the Russian army. Recent estimates suggest that Russia is losing between 30,000 and 40,000 soldiers, killed and wounded, every month.

To replace these losses, Russia has increased its mobilization efforts. People are being pressured or forced to sign military contracts. At the same time, Moscow claims that they are all joining the army voluntarily.

However, reports received from the region raise serious questions about Moscow’s claim that this recruitment is voluntary.

People who refuse to sign contracts are reportedly taken from their homes, detained and tortured. Some deaths have also been reported. Nurdin Karaf, a Circassian from Kabardino-Balkaria, is one of the known cases. He was reportedly taken away, tortured and killed after resisting recruitment. His body has still not been returned to his family.

Forced recruitment is also reported in police stations and other state institutions. Even people dealing with minor issues, such as traffic violations, may be pressured to sign military contracts. Some of those who resist are reportedly accused of extremism or terrorism and detained on false charges.

Circassians, other peoples of the North Caucasus and Indigenous communities across Russia are paying a heavy price for Moscow’s imperial war. Thousands of young Circassians and North Caucasians have reportedly already lost their lives on the Ukrainian front.

Those with money and influence can leave Russia. Poor Indigenous communities often cannot. They are left with little choice and are forced to accept the future decided for them by Moscow.

Poverty is not consent. Threats are not consent. A contract signed under pressure, detention or torture cannot be called voluntary service.

These events must not be treated as separate cases. For many years, Russia has divided Indigenous peoples, weakened their languages and identities, and punished peaceful national activism. Today, these same peoples are being sent in large numbers to fight and die in Russia’s war.

When Russia, as the sovereign authority responsible for their protection, is itself targeting Circassians and other Indigenous and ethnic peoples, their safety and protection cannot be meaningfully guaranteed. Under such circumstances, the international community must not remain indifferent.

The ICPC is also concerned about Russia’s growing tensions with NATO countries. Moscow may be trying to hide its failures in Ukraine and create an excuse for a wider mobilization. Any NATO response could be presented as an attack on Russia and used to justify more recruitment and repression. Once again, Indigenous and poor communities would be among the first to suffer.

In light of these concerns, the ICPC has decided to make the effective international protection of Circassians and other Indigenous peoples in the Russian Federation a central priority in its future international engagement.

We will demand governments, the United Nations and international human-rights institutions to take action under the UN Charter, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the international responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, as recognized in paragraphs 138 and 139 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome.

We call for independent investigations into forced recruitment, torture and deaths connected to military mobilization. We also call for international monitoring and safe ways for victims, families and witnesses to provide evidence without fear of punishment.

No state has the right to use Indigenous peoples as expendable soldiers in an imperial war.

The international community must not wait until an Indigenous nation has been irreversibly weakened or has disappeared altogether before deciding to act.

International Circassian Political Committee (ICPC)

27 August 2026

Statement file can be downloaded here!