Tag Historical Memory

September 29, 2025
Russian Politics & Society

A Dozen Stars, Three Arrows, and One Enormous Dream of an Ancient People

Near Novorossiysk there is a tiny village called Ubykh, named after a Circassian tribe that once lived on this coast. In 1864, after decades of war, Russia completed the destruction of Circassia, and hundreds of thousands fled to Turkey. Could a revived Circassia now offer southern Russia a way out of Putin's war?

November 28, 2022
Russian Politics & Society

Raising the Banner of Freedom: The Struggle for the Novorossiysk Republic

In December 1905, as its governor and his deputy fled, Novorossiysk declared itself an independent republic without firing a shot. Its elected council brought in an eight-hour workday, freed political prisoners and taxed big business. Two weeks later, troops arrived and the republic was gone.