RAIPON – the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North. It used to be managed by the indigenous peoples themselves and existed for the sake of protection of their rights. But now this organisation is run by the Russian government while representatives of the indigenous peoples are mere ornaments in it, just as is the case with many aspects of life in Russia. The president of RAIPON is Grigory Ledkov, member of the parliament appointed by the ruling United Russia party.
