ABSTRACT

Many features of the federal structure within the Russian Federation originate in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. One reason for the many deaths in Beslan had arguably been the heavy-handed, even clumsy, handling of the matter by federal security institutions. The Russian security services also highlighted threats connected to the conflict in Ukraine, yet there seemed to be little immediate risk for domestic Russia. After 2014, the federal Investigative Committee did look into alleged death threats from ‘Ukrainian nationalists’ against governors in the Russian border Oblasts of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk and Voronezh, but such a threat failed to materialize. Looked at from a different perspective, however, minorities simply sought to preserve Russia’s multicultural fabric. The Russian Orthodox Church was in general turmoil over historic, formal independence achieved by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; clearly, the federal authorities would have to rectify such problems by focusing on international challenges to their cultural programme.