Besserman villages proposed to be in list of traditional indigenous places

The deputies of the State Council of Udmurtia are planning to address the Chairman of the Government of Russia Mikhail Mishustin with a proposal to include Besserman villages and hamlets in the federal list of indigenous peoples. According to the proposal, the villages and hamlets of Udmurtia, which are currently inhabited by the Bessermans, should be included in the list of places of traditional residence and economic activities of small indigenous minorities.

The proposal would grant financial benefits for the Bessermans. According to Russian law, small-numbered indigenous peoples (which is the official status of the Bessermans) are entitled to privileges in the field of land use, nature management, and the extraction of aquatic bioresources (fishing). But on the condition that they live in the places of their traditional residence and traditional economic activities.

The Bessermans are a small Finno-Ugric minority living traditionally in North Udmurtia. According to the 2010 Russian Census, there were 2201 Bessermans.