Kalmykia

• 1. The Steppe's Edge

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  Kalmykia lies in the Caspian Depression, a low-lying region that extends down to 28 meters below sea level. The republic covers an area of approximately 76,100 square kilometers within Southern Russia. It borders Dagestan to the south and Stavropol Krai to the southwest. Volgograd Oblast touches its northwest and north sides while Astrakhan Oblast borders the northeast. Rostov Oblast forms the western boundary and the Caspian Sea stretches along the eastern edge. A small stretch of the Volga River flows through the eastern part of this territory. Other major rivers include the Yegorlyk, the Kuma, and the Manych. Lake Manych-Gudilo stands as the largest lake in the region. Lakes Sarpa and Tsagan-Khak hold significance for local ecosystems. The highest point reaches 354 meters in elevation and is shared with neighboring areas in the Yergeni hills. Average January temperatures hover around minus 6 degrees Celsius while July averages near 24 degrees Celsius. Annual precipitation ranges from 150 millimeters in the east to 400 millimeters in the west. The small town of Utta holds the record as the hottest place in all of Russia. On the 12th of July 2010 during a significant heatwave affecting the entire country, an all-time record-high temperature was observed at 44.5 degrees Celsius. Natural resources found here include coal, oil, and natural gas. Wildlife includes the saiga antelope whose habitat is protected within Chyornye Zemli Nature Reserve.

• 2. Oirat Migration Westward

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  The ancestors of the Kalmyks were Oirat Mongols who migrated from the steppes of southern Siberia on the banks of the Irtysh River. They reached the Lower Volga region of Eastern Europe by the early 17th century. Historians generally recognize that these people sought abundant pastures for their herds. Another motivation may have involved escaping the growing dominance of the neighbouring Dzungar Mongol tribe. They arrived in the lower Volga region in or about 1630. That land was not uncontested pasture but rather the homeland of the Nogai Horde. This confederation consisted of Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes. The Kalmyks expelled the Nogais who fled to the Caucasian plains and to the Crimean Khanate. Some Nogai groups sought protection from the Russian garrison at Astrakhan. The remaining nomadic Mongol Oirat tribes became vassals of the Kalmyk Khan. These territories stretched from Saratov in the north to Astrakhan on the Volga delta in the south. They also encamped on both sides of the Volga River from the Don River in the west to the Ural River in the east. Within twenty-five years of settling in the Lower Volga region, the Kalmyks became subjects of the Tsar of Russia. In exchange for protecting Russia's southern border, they received an annual allowance and access to markets of Russian border settlements. The open access to Russian markets was supposed to discourage mutual raiding between the Kalmyks and Russians. However this arrangement often failed in practice. Kalmyk allegiance remained nominal as Khans practised self-government based on laws called the Great Code of the Nomads. The Kalmyk Khanate reached its peak under Ayuka Khan who ruled from 1672 until 1724. During his era the Khanate fulfilled responsibilities to protect southern borders while conducting military expeditions against Turkic-speaking neighbours. Successful campaigns occurred throughout the Caucasus region. Economic prosperity came from free trade with Russian border towns, China, Tibet, and Muslim neighbours. The Kalmyks kept close contacts with their Oirat kinsmen in Dzungaria as well as with the Dalai Lama in Tibet.

• 3. The Winter of Deportation

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  On the 27th of December 1943 Soviet authorities declared that many Kalmyks were guilty of cooperation with the German Army. This justification ordered the deportation of the entire Kalmyk population including those who had served with the Soviet Army. They were sent to various locations in Central Asia and Siberia. In conjunction with the deportation, the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished. Its territory was split between adjacent Astrakhan, Rostov and Stalingrad Oblasts plus Stavropol Krai. To completely obliterate traces of the Kalmyk people, Soviet authorities renamed former republic towns and villages. Before this event approximately 8,000 Kalmyks had been awarded various orders and medals during World War II. Twenty-one Kalmyk men received recognition as Heroes of the Soviet Union. Many Kalmyks chose to fight against the Soviet Union but the majority fought the German army in regular Red Army units or partisan resistance units behind battlelines throughout the Soviet Union. By December 1942 the Soviet Red Army retook the Kalmyk ASSR forcing assigned Kalmyks to flee sometimes with wives and children in hand. The Kalmyk units retreated westward into unfamiliar territory with the retreating German army. They were reorganized into the Kalmuck Legion though Kalmyks themselves preferred the name Kalmuck Cavalry Corps. Casualty rates increased substantially during retreat especially among officers. The German army imposed forced conscription taking teenagers and middle-aged men to replace those killed. Overall effectiveness declined sharply under these conditions. Those who did not want to leave formed militia units that stayed behind to harass oncoming Soviet forces. Remnants of the Kalmuck Cavalry Corps made their way to Austria where soldiers and family members became post-war refugees.

• 4. Return And Artificial Deserts

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  Khrushchev finally allowed Kalmyks to return home in 1957 after decades of exile. When they came back they found homes, jobs, and land occupied by imported Russians and Ukrainians who remained. On the 9th of January 1957 Kalmykia again became an autonomous oblast. It gained republic status on the 29th of July 1958 as part of the Russian SFSR. Bad planning of agricultural and irrigation projects resulted in widespread desertification over following years. On orders from Moscow sheep production increased beyond levels that fragile steppe could sustain. This caused 1.4 million acres or 5666 square kilometers of artificial desert to form. To ramp up output economically nonviable industrial plants were constructed. The Cherney Zemli Irrigation Scheme receives water from Caucasian rivers Terek and Kuma via a chain of canals. Water flows from the Terek to the Kuma through the Terek-Kuma Canal then to Chogray Reservoir on East Manych River via Kuma-Manych Canal. Finally it enters Kalmykia's steppes over the Cherney Zemli Main Canal constructed during the 1970s. After dissolution of USSR Kalmykia kept autonomous republic status within newly formed Russian Federation effective the 31st of March 1992.

• 5. Chess And Power

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  From 1993 until 2010 Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov served as Head of Republic. He also held presidency of world chess organization FIDE until 2018. Ilyumzhinov spent much of his fortune promoting chess throughout Kalmykia where it became compulsory in all primary schools. Elista hosted many international tournaments including the 2006 World Chess Championship between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik. In late 1990s allegations emerged that government spent too much money on chess-related projects. These accusations appeared in Sovietskaya Kalmykia, opposition newspaper based in Elista. Larisa Yudina journalist who investigated these claims was kidnapped and murdered in 1998. Two men Sergei Vaskin and Tyurbi Boskomdzhiv working in local civil service were charged with her murder. One had been former presidential bodyguard. After prolonged investigations by Russian authorities both men found guilty and jailed. No evidence discovered showing Ilyumzhinov himself responsible for any wrongdoing. On the 24th of October 2010 Ilyumzhinov replaced by Alexey Orlov as new Head of Kalmykia. Since September 2019 Batu Khasikov serves as acting President. Anatoly Kozachko has led Parliament since 2008 while Lyudmila Ivanovna holds Prime Minister position. All three top politicians belong to Kremlin's United Russia Party.

• 6. Scattered Communities

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  According to 2021 Census Kalmyks make up 62.5 percent of republic population. Other groups include Russians at 25.7 percent Dargins at 2.8 percent Kazakhs at 1.7 percent Turks at 1.6 percent Chechens at 1.1 percent Avars at 1.0 percent and Koreans at 0.4 percent. The population of Kalmyks in Russian Empire Soviet Union and Russian Federation fluctuated significantly over time. In 1926 there were 107,026 Kalmyks living alongside 15,212 Russians and 19,356 others. By 1939 numbers shifted to 107,315 Kalmyks with 100,814 Russians and 12,555 others. After deportation the 1959 census recorded only 64,882 Kalmyks against 103,349 Russians and 16,626 others. Population recovered gradually reaching 159,138 Kalmyks by 2021 alongside 65,490 Russians and 30,135 others. Many older Kalmyks are fluent in German French and Serbo-Croatian due to decades-long migration through Europe. They also speak Russian and native Kalmyk language. Kalmyks established communities in United States primarily in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Majority descended from those who fled Russia in late 1920 to France Yugoslavia Bulgaria and later Germany. Many Kalmyks living in Germany at end of World War II eventually granted passage to United States. Several Kalmyk Buddhist temples exist in Monmouth County New Jersey where vast majority American Kalmyks reside. A Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center and monastery stand in Washington Township New Jersey. At one point during 20th century a Kalmyk Buddhist temple existed in Belgrade Serbia. The word Kalmyk means 'those who remained' though origin unknown. Three cultural subgroups within nation include Turguts Durbets Durwets and Buzavs Oirats joining Russian Cossacks plus villages of Hoshouts and Zungars.