Raids and Arrests in Bashkortostan Highlight Growing Unrest Over Controversial Mining Project

Authorities in Bashkortostan, a republic in Russia, and the adjacent Magnitogorsk region conducted home raids and apprehended activists opposing a government-supported initiative to develop copper mining sites near their communities, local media reported on Thursday.

In the early hours of Thursday, security forces searched the residence of prominent Bashkir activist Ural Baybulatov, according to RFE/RL’s Volga-Ural service Idel.Realii, which cited an anonymous source familiar with the situation.

Ildar Khabirov, a business owner from Magnitogorsk who has campaigned against the mining project, also experienced a raid at his home, as reported by local Telegram channels. His current location remains unknown.

Earlier this year, a subsidiary of the Russian Copper Company (RCC) announced intentions to explore and extract minerals in the Kyrktytau mountain range, a region well-known for its outdoor tourism.

This announcement sparked frustration among local residents and regional environmental activists who claim that the initiative could cause irreversible ecological harm to their Indigenous lands and surrounding ecosystems, including those in neighboring Kazakhstan.

Opponents of the mining project have launched a significant online campaign and initiated two petitions against it. However, authorities have repeatedly denied their requests to organize protests for various reasons.

The mining site is situated close to the rural community of Salavat-sovkhoz in the southeastern part of Bashkortostan’s Abzelilovsky district.

Defenders of Kyrktytau also participated in multiple town halls with representatives from the mining company, where videos of impassioned speeches by residents from the Abzelilovsky district quickly gained traction online.

Local residents opposing the mining venture were among those targeted in Thursday’s raids, according to several local Telegram channels. While no arrests have been officially confirmed, reports suggest that security personnel warned individuals of potential detention should they express any public dissent regarding the project in the future, including on social media platforms.

These developments regarding Kyrktytau occur as Russian courts continue to convict over 80 Bashkir men and women implicated in the Baymak case, recognized as the largest political trial in contemporary Russian history.

In January 2024, thousands protested in the southwestern town of Baymak, Bashkortostan, against the imprisonment of prominent Indigenous Bashkir rights activist Fayil Alsynov.

Alsynov himself was given a four-year sentence in a penal colony related to his role in protests against illegal gold mining in Bashkortostan.

During a court hearing on Tuesday, defendants in the Baymak case held a protest in support of Kyrktytau, displaying a sign that read, “Kyrkty live on!!!”

“The authorities are doing everything in their power to instill fear in those who defend their land, to discourage people from voicing their opinions, and to prevent any mention of the authorities [and their involvement in mining at Kyrktytau],” Lilia Chanysheva, the exiled former regional coordinator for Alexei Navalny’s political network in Bashkortostan, stated on Telegram on Thursday.

“However, the truth…lies with us, the local residents and those who cherish their land and wish to safeguard it for future generations. These repressive measures will not endure indefinitely. A turning point will come, and those who have suppressed our people for years will ultimately face accountability — whether before the public or, indeed, before God,” Chanysheva concluded.