Hosting the BRICS summit: why Kazan in Tatarstan matters in Putin's Russia

Last Updated24/10/2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Russia for the 16th BRICS summit, which China’s President Xi Jinping and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa are also attending, besides the host, President Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Russia for the 16th BRICS Summit, joined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit is being held in Kazan, one of Russia’s largest and wealthiest cities.

Kazan is notable for its thriving petrochemicals, military industries, and a growing IT sector. In 2009, it was named Russia’s third capital, following Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The city represents a blend of Europe and Asia, reflecting the demographic shifts underway in Russia. It serves as a microcosm of Russia’s changing ethnic and religious landscape.

Russia, historically identified as the homeland of the Russian people, an ethnic Slavic group, has always been multi-ethnic. The country spans Europe and Asia, comprising 193 ethnic groups and 21 national republics.
Although more than 80% of the population is ethnic Russian, ethnic diversity is increasing, with Muslim minorities growing in number. The birth rate among ethnic Russians (1.3 children per woman) is significantly lower than that of Muslim ethnicities (2.3 children), suggesting that the Muslim population could triple in the coming decades.
Russia may also experience a smaller population overall, leading to increased migration from Turkic and Asiatic ethnic groups.

Kazan, located 900 km east of Moscow, is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and home to the Tatar people, Russia's second-largest ethnic group. The population is almost evenly split between ethnic Russians (48.6%) and Tatars (47.6%).
The Tatars, a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnic group, have their own language and culture. Kazan thus symbolizes the blending of Europe and Asia and reflects the ethnic and religious diversity Russia is increasingly embracing.

Kazan’s diversity is reflected in its architecture, particularly the city's kremlin. This historic complex houses the Orthodox Annunciation Cathedral and the Kul Sharif Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Europe. The mosque, originally built in the early 16th century, was destroyed during Ivan the Terrible’s Siege of Kazan and rebuilt in 2005 with the help of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

President Vladimir Putin has sought to balance his relationship with Russia’s ethnic minorities by promoting a unified nationalism that includes all groups while maintaining a strict stance against secessionist movements, as seen in his handling of Chechnya.
However, tensions have surfaced, such as the persecution of Crimean Tatars after the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the diminishing authority of Tatarstan's leaders since 2021.
Bringing the BRICS summit to Kazan is viewed as a conciliatory gesture towards the Tatars. Significant investments were made, with 8 billion rubles ($80 million) spent on city renovations to prepare for what has been described as "the largest foreign policy event ever held" in Russia.