Turkmenistan Between the Lines: Sovereignty Under Silent Threat

Statement by the Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan Recent public statements by Russian ideologues and propagandists openly questioning the sovereignty of post-Soviet states represent a dangerous and unacceptable challenge to international law, territorial integrity, and the fundamental rights of nations. In January 2026, Alexander Dugin declared that Russia should not accept the existence of sovereign states in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Shortly afterward, Russian television host Vladimir Solovyov publicly discussed the possibility of Russian military operations in Central Asia, referring to the region as a zone of Moscow’s influence. In these statements, Turkmenistan was not mentioned directly. However, Turkmenistan is geographically, historically, and politically an integral part of Central Asia. Therefore, it cannot be excluded from this discourse. Its absence from explicit mention raises two alarming possibilities: Either Turkmenistan is already perceived as a territory under implicit external control, or it is deliberately left unnamed in order to avoid international reaction while remaining included between the lines. Both interpretations are equally unacceptable. The complete silence of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, state institutions, official media, and intellectual representatives only deepens these concerns. Silence in the face of threats to sovereignty is not neutrality — it is vulnerability. The Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan declares: Turkmenistan is not a colony. Turkmenistan is not a buffer zone. Turkmenistan is not a bargaining chip in geopolitical games. Turkmenistan is a sovereign nation whose people have the inalienable right to self-determination, independence, and dignity. We strongly condemn the statements made by Alexander Dugin and Vladimir Solovyov as: – violations of international law, – threats to territorial integrity, – promotion of imperial revanchism, – and direct attacks on the principle of national sovereignty. No historical narrative, geopolitical doctrine, or ideological fantasy grants any state the right to deny another nation its existence. If state institutions fail to defend sovereignty, civil society must speak. We, the citizens of Turkmenistan, categorically reject any attempt to turn our country into someone else’s colony — openly or between the lines. Sovereignty is not a privilege granted by empires. It is a right belonging to the people. Human Rights Platform of the Civic Movement DAYANÇ / Turkmenistan Author: Diana Dadasheva