VATANÇI Was Designated an Extremist Organization in Russia. In London, the Movement Signed an Agreement with the Government in Exile

On September 13, 2026, the VATANÇI movement and the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile signed a cooperation agreement in London. The document was signed on behalf of the movement by its representative in the United Kingdom, Almaz Gubaidullin, and on behalf of the Government by Prime Minister Rafis Kashapov.

What preceded the agreement

On March 23, 2026, the Vakhitovsky District Court of Kazan designated the public association VATANÇI (also rendered as VATANCI, ВАТАНЧИ and ВАТАНЧЫ) an extremist organization. On May 28, the movement was added to Russia’s federal list of extremist organizations.

According to the SOVA Research Center’s account of the ruling, the court also referred to VATANÇI’s cooperation with the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile, the All-Tatar Public Center and other organizations of the Tatar national movement.

Thus, the cooperation that the parties formally documented on September 13 had already appeared in the Russian court’s reasoning in the case that led to the movement’s prohibition. The agreement now gives that cooperation a formal and public framework.

“We were declared extremists in the spring. For what — for talking to each other and speaking about our people. Here, abroad, nothing will happen to me for that. But I understand very well what it costs those who remain at home. That is why we sign such documents openly — so that it is clear that we have not disappeared.”

Almaz Gubaidullin, VATANÇI representative in the United Kingdom

What the agreement is for

The parties stated that they intend to combine efforts in the struggle for Tatarstan’s independence, the protection of the rights of the Tatar people and the preservation of national identity. The agreement provides a framework for joint political and civic work and for representing the interests of the Tatar people on international platforms.

For VATANÇI, the agreement formalizes its cooperation with the Government in Exile. For the Government, it expands the network of Tatar organizations with which it maintains regular work abroad.

“By declaring Tatar organizations extremist, Moscow is pursuing one goal — to divide us so that each person is left alone with their problems. We are doing the opposite. The Government in Exile exists so that the Tatar people have representation where such representation is prohibited inside the republic. Every organization joining this work makes our voice stronger. This is not a symbolic gesture, but a practical necessity.”

Rafis Kashapov, Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile

Context

The Government of Independent Tatarstan in Exile traces its institutional history to 2008, when representatives of the Tatar national movement and the Milli Mejlis established a government in exile. Today it operates abroad as a political and public institution advocating Tatarstan’s state self-determination and independence.

Source: SOVA Research Center — on the court ruling and the movement’s inclusion in the federal list.