Thus, on October 18, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine effectively recognized the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI) by adopting appropriate resolutions and declarations. Referring to the decisions of the All-National Congress of the Chechen People (ANCCP) on the independence of the CRI since 1990, the Constitution of the CRI of 1992, and the peace treaty between the CRI and the RF of 1997, which was unilaterally violated by the RF, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine recognized the CRI as «temporarily occupied»:
- Recognized the CRI as «temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as a result of armed aggression»;
- Condemned the crimes committed by Russia against the Chechen people throughout its history: the Caucasian War, the Stalinist deportation, and the two Russo-Chechen wars;
- called on the international community to investigate these crimes and hold those responsible accountable.
Yes, it should be noted that such recognition is not yet a full-fledged recognition of the CRI as an independent state. As some experts note, Ukraine cannot afford such recognition contrary to the rest of the international community, but even this partial recognition on its part indicates that Kyiv is beginning to work on changing the international community’s perception of the «territorial integrity of the Russian Federation».
After all, as the Kremlin leader said, «Russia’s borders do not end anywhere.» But there is a flip side to this approach, because then it can be said that «they do not begin anywhere,» since Russia’s dissociation of its borders from international law calls into question their recognition in principle. And Ukraine is beginning to take advantage of this.
Someone may brush it off and say, well, what does it matter what Ukraine or anyone else recognizes when Russian tanks are stationed on these territories? But now we see how quickly all this is changing in Kherson and beyond: Russian tanks are there today, but they may not be there tomorrow.
Of course, the war is far from over, and theoretically the map of military operations can change again. But in general, it is already clear that even if Russia were to use tactical nuclear weapons there and achieve some tactical success, it would already have lost this war, just as in 1942 it became clear that Germany had lost the war, even though German troops were still present on Soviet territory.
However, it is obvious that after Russia’s defeat in this war, everything cannot simply return to the state before February 24, 2022, or even before Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The idea of condemning the Russian regime as criminal, similar to the regime of Nazi Germany, is gaining more and more support and recognition worldwide. As well as the understanding that these crimes were committed not only against the Ukrainian people, but also against other peoples who have been victims of Russian imperialism in its historically different forms.
And this means that the international solution of the Russian question will bring freedom to the peoples enslaved by Moscow. And it is necessary to start preparing for it now. At the very least, by ceasing to identify ourselves and our future with «Russia» and beginning to consider ourselves as the nations of countries independent of it, temporarily occupied by it.