Journal of Caucasian Studies

Abstract

On January 9, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared the Russian conquest of Circassia in the nineteenth century as a genocide. Ukraine thus became the second country after Georgia in 2011 to recognizer the Circassian genocide. The Russian Empire’s complete conquest of Circassia in 1864, as part of a greater strategy to subdue the Caucasus, led to the massive killing, starvation, and deportation of Circassians, who to this day are scattered throughout the Western countries, the Middle East, and Russia. The Circassian movement is divided in its ultimate goals but seeks to gain greater cultural, linguistic and political rights with Russia, to secure repatriation of the diaspora, and to merge all North Caucasus republics with a substantial Circassian population into one, or to even gain independence from or a greater sense of autonomy within the Russian Federation. As part of a grander strategy to limit Russian influence in the region and to avenge the losses of separatist territories in 2008, the Georgian government recognized the conquest of Circassia as a genocide on May 20, 2011, as part of a greater strategy for Tbilisi to gain greater influence and leverage with the peoples of the North Caucasus, especially the Circassians. This strategy also included the weaponization of conferences, the creation of cross-cultural and education programs, the dissemination of Georgian-sponsored media in the North Caucasus, open travel of North Caucasians into Georgia, and greater political and economic cooperation between Georgia and the North Caucasus. Although the current ruling establishment has stepped back from many of these initiatives, Tbilisi’s past rapprochement with Circassians and other North Caucasus groups has led to the strengthening of Circassian activism and encouraged Ukraine since the start of the current war with Russia to embrace the mantle of Pan-Caucasus causes. Through recognizing the Circassian genocide and supporting other separatist movements and organizations in the North Caucasus, Kyiv has emerged as a replacement of Tbilisi to support stateless peoples within the Russian sphere.