Declaration

Tuva sovereignty declaration, 1990

Name: Tuva sovereignty declaration, 1990
Start: 1990-12-11

11 December 1990

Tuva's parliament declared sovereignty amid ethnic unrest, later adopting a constitution asserting a right of secession from Russia.

What happened

In May 1990, the Tuva ASSR experienced civil strife between Tuvan and Russian residents, in which Tuvan residents attacked Russian neighbourhoods, prompting around 3,000 Russians to leave the republic.[1] Following the late-1980s campaign of the Tuvan Popular Front, Tuva's parliament declared the republic's sovereignty on 11 December 1990.[2]

In 1993, Tuva's parliament adopted a new Constitution, Article 1 of which stated that the Republic of Tuva "has the right ... to secede from the Russian Federation by republic-wide referendum"; the republic's official name was also changed from Tuva to Tyva.[3] By 1992, however, Tuvan nationalist sentiment had substantially receded, evidenced by the election as republic president of Sherig-ool Oorzhak, a strong supporter of Russian President Boris Yeltsin.[4]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

1.
Claim: In May 1990, the Tuva ASSR experienced civil strife between Tuvan and Russian residents, in which Tuvan residents attacked Russian neighbourhoods, prompting around 3,000 Russians to leave the republic.
- Assessment for Tuvinians in Russia (Minorities at Risk Project, via Refworld) link, summary of 1990 unrest. Source record
2.
Claim: Following the late-1980s campaign of the Tuvan Popular Front, Tuva's parliament declared the republic's sovereignty on 11 December 1990.
- Tuva: Rejoining the Fold (Jamestown Foundation) link, Sovereignty declaration section. Source record
3.
Claim: In 1993, Tuva's parliament adopted a new Constitution, Article 1 of which stated that the Republic of Tuva "has the right ... to secede from the Russian Federation by republic-wide referendum"; the republic's official name was also changed from Tuva to Tyva.
- Constitution of Tuva (Wikipedia) link, Article 1 text. Source record
4.
Claim: By 1992, Tuvan nationalist sentiment had substantially receded, evidenced by the election as republic president of Sherig-ool Oorzhak, a strong supporter of Russian President Boris Yeltsin; the sovereignty movement was tempered in part by the republic's continued financial dependence on Moscow.
- Tuva: Rejoining the Fold (Jamestown Foundation) link, Decline of nationalism section. Source record