Principality of Immortia
It all started with the Principality of Immortia. On March 31, 2003, Sergei Bodrov, a native of Dimitrovgrad, proclaimed this country in Antarctica. Today he is the most famous of the local sovereigns — television has shown him about six times. Sergei Velorovich (Sergei I, Prince of Immortia) is a biologist by education. His professional interest is immortality ("Immortia" translates as "immortality"). And therefore...
From the constitution of the new state: "The main goal of the establishment of the Principality of Immortia is to achieve maximum life extension by all possible forces and means. The right to maximum life extension on a voluntary basis is the fundamental right of citizens of the Principality of Immortia." The Prince of Immortia has a wealth of scientific ideas on how to ensure his subjects' fundamental right, but that is not the topic of our publication.
More from official documents: "The territory of the Principality of Immortia is declared to be the permanently uninhabited territory of the continent of Antarctica within the boundaries of a quadrilateral formed on one side by the 90th degree of longitude, on the second side by the 95th degree of longitude, on the third side by the 80th degree of latitude, and on the fourth side by the continental border of the continent of Antarctica, with the exception of the territory within a 200 km radius centered on the Mirny research station, as well as Pobeda and Driagalsky Islands. The maritime boundary is set at 5 km from the coast."
According to Sergei Velorovich, proclaiming one's own state (at least at the initial stage) does not require much. A legally certified declaration (can be done at a notary). Information in the media with precise geographical coordinates. International recognition and so on is the next stage.
Grand Duchy of Pinsk
Soon after the Russian media informed the public about the birth of the new power, a phone call rang in Sergei Velorovich's apartment. The caller, Evgeny Nikolaevich Rasskazov, as it turned out, had also long dreamed of having his own country. He asked the prince to share his experience. They got to talking. The prince liked his interlocutor's views and intentions, and he made the new acquaintance a truly princely gift—he suggested a strip of unclaimed Antarctic land (pardon, is the word "land" applicable in this case?) adjacent to his own territory. Thus, on October 14, 2003, the Grand Duchy of Pinsk arose on the ice continent. Later its possessions expanded.
"Pinsk," because this small West Belarusian town is the birthplace of Grand Duke Evgeny I. And why not? The first president and two prime ministers of Israel also came from Pinsk, didn't they? So the path to state-building has already been trodden. Actually, Evgeny Nikolaevich is a builder by profession, then he went into business. He lived in sunny Sochi, now in no less sunny Miami. Here he has, he explained, a small business, an antique shop. But it turns out his heart and thoughts are in Antarctica.
Why was the duchy created? There are many reasons—promotion of medieval history, helping children and Chernobyl victims, establishing an international (in the sense of jointly with Immortia) fund to support polar explorers... I did not quite understand whether a new state was needed for all this, but after all, it is not you or I who are investing money in the duchy, but Evgeny Nikolaevich. He knows better.
Principality of Yuri Kharchuk and Others
Neither Sergei Velorovich nor Evgeny Nikolaevich, when talking, give the impression of madmen or rabid ambitious people. Rather, they are people who have decided to conduct an unexpected, striking experiment.
It is also known that Yuri Kharchuk, an energetic treasure hunter from the Leningradskaya stanitsa in Krasnodar Krai, has staked claims to Antarctic spaces. He proclaimed a country with the modest name "Principality of Treasure Hunters of Yuri Kharchuk." In addition, the author managed to establish the presence on the continent of the Veche Antarctic Republic of Mr. Kashnitsky and two states in the process of creation—the Principality of Sangreal of Vladimir Bagaev (Mr. Bagaev reported about himself that he lives in Krasnoyarsk Krai, works in the energy sector; he closely cooperates with the Duke of Pinsk and has recently been granted the title of marquis) and the territory of Tambinus of a certain Sasha from Novosibirsk (but Sasha did not respond to my email).
Why Antarctica?
Because all other lands on the planet are already taken! Even the most remote uninhabited islet is under someone's jurisdiction. And international laws forbid creating new countries on foreign territory. There is even an agreement under which Earth's inhabitants have no right to lay claim to other planets. But Antarctica is a special situation. First, according to the Prince of Immortia, there are corners there on which—surprisingly!—no one has yet staked a claim. Second, according to him, the 1959 treaty does not specify the right (or lack thereof) of individuals to form new states on these vacant corners of the continent. No one thought of that back then. A loophole in the law. At least it is a reason to press one's claim. And further—whoever first says, "I declare this my land!" is in the right.
But, excuse me, a king must live in his kingdom, mustn't he?
Not necessarily. In their constitutions, the polar monarchs have stipulated the right to dual citizenship (for their subjects and for themselves). You live where you want, and in parallel you have an "Antarctic" passport. As for living on the territory... There is such a concept as a government in exile—when for some reason the rulers of a country find themselves outside it. The House of Romanov or the Dalai Lama... So the Antarctic rulers are also, in a way, rulers in exile. Consider that they simply do not yet have the opportunity to settle on their land.
The Prince of Immortia currently has about 70 subjects (since the country is virtual for the time being, citizens are recruited via the Internet). The Duke of Pinsk has 15. But that is irrelevant. Under international law, the population size of a country does not matter—for the civilized community, all states are equal!
Although the Antarctic sovereigns, of course, dream of visiting their lands. To walk around, to crunch their boots on the ice. To plant a flag.
Relations with the UN
So, about international recognition. The experience of Sergei I here is especially rich. Immediately after the proclamation of Immortia, the prince sent a letter to the UN, clarifying some legal details. New York did not respond. He wrote again. Silence. Then Sergei I took a package of application documents and went to the UN office in Moscow. First he tried to hand the papers to one of the officials. He hesitated for a long time, insisting that he could not resolve the issue, that one had to apply to the Central Office. In the Central Office, the prince was not let in by security, and a girl at the reception said that he should apply in writing. The prince understood what a cumbersome structure he was dealing with, so he was not too upset, he simply wrote to New York once more. And - unexpectedly received an answer! But not to this letter, but to the very first one, sent a year ago. They informed him that it had been received and was being considered...
The prince told me that if the UN refuses him, he will apply to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. They have no grounds to refuse! I believe him: the prince (like the duke) is already a specialist in international law and is ready to do battle with any expert.
Precedents
They exist. For example, the state of Sealand. Six miles from the English coast, a former anti-aircraft platform had been sticking out since wartime. A retired British major, Roy Bates, settled on it in 1967 - and proclaimed his country. He sells titles, stamps to philatelists, coins to numismatists, and other paraphernalia. Sealand tried to declare itself an offshore zone, it did not work out very well, so he began hosting internet servers - also money into the treasury. Sealand is already a serious outfit, and when Sergei I proposed establishing diplomatic relations with Immortia, the prime minister answered him. "We wish you success," he wrote, "but you are still at the beginning of the road, while we are already a solid power, let's do it later."
True, international law does not recognize an artificial structure as territory (the major has no chance here). On the other hand, there is no prohibition on raising the flag of an already existing state on an artificial territory. Therefore, if, for example, the Duchy of Pinsk gains recognition, one can expand the space by means of an artificial island. And not in Antarctica, but in some warmer place. And there you can arrange whatever you want! But even without that, the Sealand precedent is an example of a newly proclaimed state as a successful commercial project.
Transnistria as a Quirk
- Don't you think this is a quirk? - I asked the duke point-blank.
Evgeny I chuckled on the other end of the line:
- Then consider, for example, the Transnistrian Republic a quirk. Or Abkhazia. Or Karabakh. Officially they also, as it were, do not exist. Self-proclaimed states without international recognition. But they do exist!
It's Nice There!
I like the Antarctic sovereigns. Decisive people! By and large, many countries began with someone coming to an empty land and saying: "Mine!" You'll say that was a long time ago? But has world history ended?
I like the Antarctic states. In fact, they are better than real ones. They threaten no one. They are doomed to eternal peace (what fool would go to conquer them?). There they do not subjugate the natives with fire and sword (for lack of any). There is no struggle for power, no interethnic conflicts, no government crises, no lying deputies, no harmful cops, no street punks... You see, how many advantages?