This document summarizes the political system and indigenous peoples' land rights in Russia. It discusses Russia's federal structure and population demographics. There are over 200 ethnic groups in Russia, with Russians making up over 80% of the population. The document also outlines Russia's federal laws regarding indigenous peoples and examines challenges between indigenous groups and extractive industries operating in indigenous lands in northern Russia. It concludes by noting that indigenous peoples in Russia remain vulnerable and that fully implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples would help address issues around land and resource rights.

1. Political System of
Contemporary Russia:
Basic Issues.
UN EMRIP
Pretoria, South Africa
September 30, 2019
Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights
and the UNDRIP in Russia.
Ruslan Garipov
www.ruslangaripov.com
garipov@american.edu

2. KAZAN (VOLGA REGION)
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY
Found in 1804
by Alexander I
Leo Tolstoy, Vladimir Lenin, Nikolay Lobachevsky

3. 68,000 km2
(26,254.9 sq mi)
3,822,038 inhabitants
Russia
Kazan
Republic of
Tatarstan

4. Population of the Russian Federation
Population in millions
512
1379
127 143
323
EU China Japan Russia United States
There are approximately 200
different nationalities (ethnic
groups) in Russia.
More than 80% of population
are Russians.
Others are Tatars, Ukrainians,
Chechens, Bashkirs, Chuvash,
Yakuts, Chukchi and so on.
• Titular Nation (Russians);
• Titular Nations (in Republics);
• Indigenous Small-Numbered
Peoples;
• National Minorities.

5. Law On Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the RF
(1999):
(a) Living in the historical territories of their ancestors;
(b) Preserving their traditional way of life and occupations;
(c) Recognizing themselves as a separate ethnicity; and
(d) Numbering at most 50,000 people within Russia.

6. Russia’s North is a Home for Many Indigenous
Peoples & a Place of Many Natural Resources
• Climate change has already opened up a whole new Arctic Ocean that was previously inaccessible to
most people.
• Different ways of living and using natural resources often cause a conflict between extractive business
and indigenous peoples because the parties have different, and even antagonistic interests.
• As it is a means of subsistence for indigenous peoples it leads to a sustainable use.
• As it is a means of enrichment for extractive business (commercial stakeholders) it leads to a
consumptive use.

7. 7
Region of New Challenges &
Opportunities

8. ABORIGINAL LAW IN RUSSIA.
• RFL “About Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous Small-Numbered
Peoples of the RF”, 1999
• RFL “About General Principles of Organization of the Communities of
Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far
East of the RF”, 2000
• RFL “About Territories of Traditional Nature Use of the Indigenous
Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the
RF”, 2001

9. RUSSIA AND INTERNATIONAL
LAW ON INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES’ RIGHTS.

10. Gennady Shchukin Case
Constitutional Court of RF, May 2019

11. CONCLUDING REMARKS
Indigenous Peoples in Russia are still one of the most
vulnerable and excluded socio-economic group of
population.
Aboriginal law in Russia is unstable, contradictive, often
imitational, only initially developed, and not enough
adjusted to international law.
Indigenous Peoples should benefit from their land rights
and natural resources, instead of becoming a hostage of it
and suffer oppression and degradation from its
exploitation.
It is time for Russia to endorse the UNDRIP and
implement its provisions into domestic legislation.