19:57, 9 February 2026

Human rights activists have recognized Kalmyk activist Baltykov as a political prisoner

Eduard Baltykov. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10233943954434919&set=pcb.10233944038837029 belongs to Meta, a company banned in Russia.

The criminal prosecution of Eduard Baltykov from Kalmykia is part of a security forces campaign against indigenous activists, according to the human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial"*.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," in December a Moscow court arrested 58-year-old businessman from Kalmykia, Eduard Baltykov, who had previously participated in protests in Elista, on charges of involvement in a terrorist organization.

In October 2019, Eduard Baltykov held a solo picket outside the presidential administration building in Moscow demanding the "removal of Khasikov and Trapeznikov." That summer, he participated in a rally in support of Namsyr Mandzhiev, the Communist Party candidate for the post of head of Kalmykia. Protests against the appointment of Dmitry Trapeznikov as acting mayor of Elista, who in 2018 temporarily headed the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic, took place in Kalmykia in 2019 and 2020. These protests are the subject of the "Caucasian Knot" report " Protests in Elista: A Chronicle of the Struggle Against the Mayor from Donetsk ."

Human rights activists, having reviewed the available materials on the case against Kalmyk history and culture researcher Eduard Baltykov, have recognized the activist as a political prisoner. Baltykov's persecution is related to his public activities and began in parallel with the persecution of other indigenous peoples from various Russian regions, they noted.

Human rights activists suspect that Baltykov and several other activists, including Darya Egereva, a defender of the rights of the Selkups (an indigenous people of northern Western Siberia), are accused of involvement in the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia," which is designated a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation. Human rights activists have no objective evidence that Baltykov or Egereva are actually affiliated with this organization. The charges against the activists carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The prosecution of Eduard Baltykov is unlawful, as "equating the protection of the rights and interests of indigenous peoples with terrorism is absurd," human rights activists emphasize. "Attacks on indigenous activists for their public activities are the latest round of repression and the fight against dissent in Russia," they stated.

They also consider the designation of the aforementioned "Forum" as a terrorist organization unlawful. "It is not, in principle, a unified organization, but a peaceful platform for holding conferences with representatives of various initiatives and parliamentarians from various countries. It was created as a platform for discussion and cooperation, not for terrorist activity," the "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial"* project stated in today's publication.

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*entered into the register of foreign agents.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420656