Report on Human Rights Violations in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
March 2026
In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), representatives of the colonial administration continue to commit systematic violations of the rights of the Yakut people. Political persecutions of opponents of the authorities and human rights defenders continue in March.
Persecutions and Repressions
Case of Alexander Ivanov, who spoke out for the right of the Sakha Yakutia people to self-determination
On March 24, Il Tumen deputy Alexander Ivanov reported in his Telegram channel about a call from the chairman of the mandate commission of Il Tumen, where the chairman informed that Ivanov, a current deputy, was planned to be not allowed to attend the session on depriving him of his deputy mandate. https://t.me/Alexandr_Ignatyevich/182
On March 25, Il Tumen deputies deprived Alexander Ivanov of his deputy mandate. https://zona.media/news/2026/03/25/yakut
And on March 26, the prosecutor’s office drew up a protocol against the ex-deputy based on a denunciation by former colleagues. He was charged under Article 20.3.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation — calls for violation of territorial integrity. Let us recall that during his visit to Kazakhstan, Ivanov admired its successes and spoke about the right of the Sakha people to dispose of their lands, the right of the people to choose, and the rights to study and use the native language in public life. https://semnasem.org/news/2026/03/26/na-yakutskogo-eks-deputata-inoagenta-po-donosu-kolleg-sostavili-protokol-o-prizyvah-k-separatizmu
And already on March 27, the court found Alexander Ivanov guilty and fined him 90 thousand rubles (approximately 1,100 euros). https://zona.media/news/2026/03/27/dep
Case of the Yakut political prisoner shaman Gabyshеv
In March, the Supreme Court left Alexander Gabyshеv on compulsory treatment in a psychiatric dispensary. According to the court, he poses a public danger because he “has a tendency to solitude”.
The Yakut shaman Alexander Gabyshеv became known in 2019. He walked from Yakutia to Moscow to expel the demon from the Kremlin. Otherwise, as he claimed back in 2019, a big war would begin. https://semnasem.org/news/2026/03/26/yakutskogo-shamana-aleksandra-gabysheva-ustroivshego-pohod-protiv-putina-ostavili-na-prinuditelnom-lechenii-ego-poschitali-obshestvenno-opasnym-iz-za-s
Case of Alexey Popov, who was guilty of simply submitting an application to hold a rally
At the end of March, people from various regions and republics across the territory of the Russian Federation, including Sakha Yakutia, were outraged by the blocking of the Telegram messenger. Actions and rallies were planned in each republic. In order to hold the events legally, the organizers submitted applications to the authorities for 2 dates: March 29 and 30.
However, the authorities did not approve the actions, citing “attention of destructive persons”. And the police were called to Alexey, who took him to the department for two days and drew up a protocol for disobedience under Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences (since he did not want to enter police department). https://ovd.info/story/protesty-protiv-blokirovok-v-internete-zaderzhaniya-i-drugoe-davlenie?news_id=74595
Violations of the Right to Information
The Accounts Chamber of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) reported that part of the data from the conducted inspections will remain classified from the citizens of the Republic. Despite the requirements of the republican law on the publicity of the results of the Accounts Chamber’s activities, the federal law calls information about the earnings of representatives of the authorities their personal data.
As reported in March 2026 by the Telegram channel “Torboznoe Radio” with reference to a video by the Head of the Accounts Chamber of Yakutia Alena Fedorova, inspection reports containing information about specific representatives of the authorities will have the DSP stamp. https://t.me/Torboznoe_radio/16138
Violations of Economic Rights of the Indigenous Population
Criminal case against a pensioner for three fish
On March 3, 2026, the Bulunsky District Court issued a verdict under a criminal article against a pensioner who caught three muksun fish for food. As the court decision quotes: “…out of selfish motives, wishing to consume the caught aquatic biological resources for food, without having a special permit, foreseeing the onset of socially dangerous consequences…”. The court sentenced the pensioner to 8 months conditionally and confiscation of the boat, and also considered the damage in the amount of 420,498 rubles (about 5,000 euros). Although not a single caught fish was harmed as a result of the incident, since it was released back into the sea upon arrest.
Moreover, the very decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1321, which established huge fines for catching fish, was oriented toward the affected muksun population in the Ob River. And the population in the Laptev Sea off the coast of Yakutia, located 3 thousand kilometers from the Ob River, is in a stable state and was the basis of the diet for the small population of Arctic coastal settlements.
This example clearly shows how management from a distant federal center dissonates with the real situation in the Republic. https://t.me/Torboznoe_radio/16544
Theft of resources from the Republic of Sakha
The gold mining company JSC “Sakha Gold Mining”, which earned more than 15 billion rubles in 2025, withdrew them outside the region, “without having time” to pay debts of 3 billion to local contractors.
However, if you look at the photos of the company’s managers, the reason for the unreliability of the profitable enterprise becomes clear. As usual, the profits from the extraction of Yakut subsoil are managed by people of non-Yakut nationality and affiliation, for whom the economy and condition of the Republic of Sakha do not matter. https://t.me/Torboznoe_radio/16508
Oil and gas giants, receiving super-profits from the fields of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), demonstrate approximately the same level of responsibility. The Head of the Mirny District reported that JSC “Surgutneftegaz” purchased musical instruments, a battery and a turnstile for the district’s schools. Such generous support from an enterprise with revenues that can be estimated at approximately 975 billion rubles (11.5 billion euros).
At the same time, the Mirny District itself, whose fields are used not only by JSC Surgutneftegaz, but also by other oil and gas giants, and where the “Mir” diamond deposit is located, is forced to ask for budget subsidies. Since the tax on subsoil is taken by Moscow, and enterprises prefer to bring workers from other regions, and also pay taxes on wages in other regions, the district in 2025 did not receive taxes for about a quarter of the total budget. https://t.me/Torboznoe_radio/16059 https://t.me/Torboznoe_radio/16055
Conclusions
Only as a result of self-determination and gaining independence from the parasitic empire can the Republic of Sakha protect its people from repression and unwise governance. And, of course, become a truly prosperous country with a high standard of living.