Russian TV dedicates disproportionate attention to separatist movements in the West. Why is this being done?
Russian state television has recently been paying increasing attention to separatist movements in Western countries. Broadcasts talk about actions for Welsh independence, the desire of individual regions of Great Britain for self-determination, as well as separatist sentiments in Canada and the USA. The BBC Monitoring Service analyzed why Moscow actively covers these events.
On September 26, a film crew from the Russian TV channel "Russia 1" arrived in the Welsh coastal town of Aberystwyth to prepare a report on the annual March for Welsh Independence. Usually, about eight thousand people participate in it, but this year the event received significant attention from Russian media. The report by correspondent Alexander Khabarov became one of the main stories of the "Vesti Nedeli" program.
This incident is part of a broader trend. Over the past month, Russian state television has been increasingly reporting on separatist movements in the United Kingdom and other Western countries.
The Kremlin's interest in nationalist sentiments abroad is not new. However, distinguishing Russian propaganda's rhetoric from the actual growth of independence support in various regions can be challenging.
According to analysts, the intensification of such an information campaign is happening against the backdrop of discussions about Russia's interference in European politics. In October, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that Moscow indeed interfered in the vote on the country's exit from the European Union in 2016.
Experts believe that the Kremlin aims to portray Europe as fragmented and internally divided, especially amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Another event that attracted the attention of Russian media was the meeting of the Celtic Alliance in Cardiff on September 14. At this meeting, leaders from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland signed a joint declaration on the right to self-determination.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that this meeting testifies to the desire of the Celtic peoples to hold independence votes. According to him, such a process could call into question the UK's permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
Russia-linked news websites began claiming that the meeting brought closer the inevitable dissolution of the United Kingdom. An analysis by the Foreshock group revealed that within three weeks after the summit, 107 articles promoting a similar thesis appeared on sites belonging to the Russia-linked "Pravda" disinformation network.
Russian TV channels also actively covered the symbolic "independence referendum" held on September 15 by the English village of Piddington in Oxfordshire. It took place amid disputes over plans to locate an asylum seeker center nearby.
A report on the "Russia 24" TV channel claimed that regions and even individual villages across Europe are increasingly vocal about their desire to secede. Various reasons were cited — migration, economy, language, and historical memory — but the general message was that people no longer believe in the central authorities' ability to solve their problems.
TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov stated that these events indicate the disappearance of Great Britain in its former form. He also said that everything that harms Britain benefits Russia.
According to James Sherr, an honorary professor at the International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, supporting foreign separatist movements aligns with the Kremlin's long-standing tactic aimed at deepening divisions in Western countries. Russia, he says, seeks to exploit all available contradictions within Western societies for its own interests.
In 2020, the UK government reported information it deemed credible evidence of Russian attempts to influence the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. Cybersecurity specialists also accused pro-Russian internet trolls of spreading false rumors about falsifications during the Scottish vote.
The Russian state propaganda outlet Sputnik even opened an office in Edinburgh in 2016, attempting to exploit political sentiments in Scotland after the referendum. However, the bureau closed in 2021. One former employee later described its work as chaotic and stated that it could not influence even small local events.
More systematic, according to the BBC material, was Russian support for separatist sentiments in Catalonia leading up to the independence referendum from Spain in 2017. Russian officials were suspected of offering financial aid to independence supporters. Spanish authorities investigated possible links between Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and Russia, but the case was closed in 2025, and no charges were ever brought against him.
Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities also financed annual "separatist congresses" in Moscow. Supporters of independence from various territories, including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Venice, attended these events.
Journalistic investigations revealed that pro-Russian social media accounts promoted the idea of "Calexit" – California's secession from the US – as well as a separatist movement in the Canadian province of Alberta. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has repeatedly expressed support for "Texxit" – Texas's secession from the US – and called for the creation of a so-called Texas People's Republic.
It remains unclear whether Russian rhetoric has led to a noticeable increase in the popularity of foreign separatist movements. James Sherr emphasizes that claiming the situation has worsened under Russian influence is not the same as claiming that Russia caused it. However, according to him, the scale of organizational work and the time Russian structures devote to studying these movements and making contacts with them should not be underestimated.
All of this fits into the Russian television's information narrative of a fragmented and disappointed Europe. One of the reasons often cited for regional movements' dissatisfaction with central authorities is the expensive support for Ukraine.
However, the Kremlin's attitude towards separatism abroad sharply contrasts with its policy within Russia itself. For decades, Russian authorities have harshly persecuted supporters of self-determination within the country, especially in national republics. Examples include two Chechen wars and the regular inclusion of local activists in the register of "foreign agents."
Since 2013, the Russian Criminal Code has included an article on public calls for actions aimed at violating the country's territorial integrity. It provides for punishment of up to five years of imprisonment.
In 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office declared the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia," founded in Poland in 2022 and associated with the idea of decolonization of Russia, an undesirable organization. In 2024, the Russian Supreme Court recognized the forum and its 172 regional branches as a terrorist organization.
The forum's founder, Oleg Magaletsky, commenting on this decision to the BBC, ironically noted that after all 172 regional branches were declared terrorist, his organization formally had more "terrorists" than Hezbollah, Hamas, and Boko Haram combined. According to him, the Russian state thus effectively declared the forum the most powerful terrorist organization in the world.
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