Russian racism against Caucasians
Janus
Russian city turning cold shoulder to all
By Robyn Dixon
Los Angeles Times
MOSCOW — Norilsk, the city of nickel, situated above the Arctic Circle
in Russia's freezing, inhospitable north, has been declared off limits
to foreigners.
Set in a barren landscape of dead trees, home to the world's biggest
nickel mine and known for industrial pollution so severe it has
drifted as far as arctic Canada, Norilsk is not exactly Paris.
Yet foreigners, local authorities complain, are flooding the city,
bringing crime, AIDS and drugs. So beginning Nov. 25, the local
airline, KrasAir, will restrict ticket sales to Norilsk, and would-be
visitors will need special permission and an invitation to come.
High salaries have made the frigid, remote city attractive to people
from other former Soviet republics. About 10 percent of the city's
200,000 people are foreign.
When Krasnoyarsk governor Alexander Lebed, whose domain includes
Norilsk, pledged to "cleanse" the city of foreigners yesterday, he was
using a code word every Russian understands.
To Russians, it was clear that the restriction was aimed not at
Americans, French or Germans, but at people from what is known as the
"near abroad," or former Soviet states, particularly southern
republics such as Azerbaijan.
Hostility in Russia toward the dark-skinned people of southern
republics — the Caucacus region — appears to have become more brazen
lately. In Moscow last week, a large band of skinheads went on a
rampage, beating up people of foreign appearance and killing two, an
Indian and an Armenian. In April, more than 100 youths clashed with
market traders of Caucasian origin in the capital. Many attacks go
unreported.
"Drug abuse is rampant in the city, and the city has the most people
infected with AIDS in the Krasnoyarsk territory," said Oleg Budarin,
Norilsk mayor.
Norilsk's closure is unusual because authorities are not citing
military secrecy as the motive.
In Soviet times, many cities and towns were closed to foreigners
because of weapons production, plutonium enrichment, space research or
military intelligence.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, most of the cities stayed off limits.
In July the government formalized the restrictions, publishing a list
of 90 places still closed.
Norilsk, population 230,000, is home to the giant nickel-producer
Norilsk Nickel and other industries, but was never a closed city.
"The reason for it is the crime and drug situation in the city. I mean
such crimes as theft of precious metals from local enterprises," said
Gennady Likhovtsev of the Norilsk Interior Ministry.