Russia brands Saami groups as extremists, turmoil in Lapland

The Russian Ministry of Justice has added more than 50 indigenous organizations to its list of terrorists and extremists. This is how the government is attacking the Saami people, who have inhabited the Lapland region, which includes parts of Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, for thousands of years.

Indigenous populations around the world have been persecuted and exterminated for hundreds of years. Colonizers who arrived in North America after 1492 did everything to limit the influence of various tribes living in Canada and the United States. Their actions were successful—native inhabitants faced numerous repressions, including attacks aimed at annihilating tribes. The Inuit and the Saami people can tell a similar story. Indigenous representatives can spend hours describing how governments stripped them of basic rights. Although it may seem that racial oppression no longer exists, the Saami demonstrate that the struggle continues.

The Saami people inhabit the area known as Lapland, which includes parts of Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The Saami are known for their nomadic lifestyle and reindeer herding. The first mentions of the Saami date back to 98, making them the oldest people in Scandinavia. Currently, the indigenous population faces enormous problems due to the Russian government's actions. In July 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice added 55 indigenous organizations to its list of terrorists and extremists. In practice, this means that their representatives and anyone who contacts them can be sentenced to prison.

Andrei Danilov, a representative of the Saami from the Kola Peninsula, said in an interview with "The Guardian":

"Only activists have been persecuted in the past. Now they can imprison everyone who is in contact with them. I would compare this to the period of Soviet repression in the 1930s. Many Sami will hide their nationality. As it was in Soviet times. But it will be more difficult to do this in the age of digitalisation."

Danilov fled Russia to Norway in 2022 after Russia attacked Ukraine. At that time, he applied for political asylum, which is still being processed, so he cannot work because he has not been granted refugee status. The Saami representative explains that community activists can be sentenced to at least six years in prison, and the people have no means to defend their rights against the regime.

"The Indigenous peoples of Russia have become peoples outside the law. Migrants on their land without rights, without freedom of speech. And their lands have become colonies of the Kremlin under the laws of Putin’s regime," added Danilov.

The activist explains that the Russian government's actions may be related to the preparations for developing lithium deposits in the Fedorovya tundra in the Murmansk region. This place is particularly important for the Saami people, who fear the tundra will be destroyed forever if the work progresses. The government thus wants to silence activists to take over the lands historically inhabited by the Saami people.