Russian State Duma approves amendments to Constitution despite criticism of scientists from Northern Caucasus

Members of the Russian State Duma adopted amendments to the Constitution of Russia, including the concept of the Russian language as the "language of the state-forming nation." That fact caused discontent among historians in Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan, and Adygea.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the amendments to be introduced into the Constitution of the Russian Federation include the concept of a "state-forming nation," and the Russian language is called "the language of the state-forming nation." The above facts have been criticized by scientists from Northern Caucasus.

Any distinction of a state-forming nation and its contraposition with regard to other nations is inappropriate, since most of the nations of Russia do not live in diasporas, but in their own lands, notes Samir Khotko, an Adyg historian. "Nations came to the Russian Federation with their territories, cultures, and traditions. All nations built the state together with the Russian people," the historian said.

The amendment on the state-forming nation aroused fears of forced Russification in Dagestan, historian Makhach Musaev notes.

It should be noted that in July 2018, the Russian State Duma adopted amendments to the Law "On Education", which involved the studies of the state languages of the republics in the Russian Federation "on a voluntary basis." The bill also provoked indignation among residents of national regions who saw in it a threat to the existence of the languages and culture of their nations.