Guardians of Separatism (GoS) Dataset

This biographical dataset profiles the guardians of separatism in Abkhazia (N = 292) and South Ossetia (N = 316) from 1992 through 2020. It covers officials entrusted positions with responsibilities crucial to the survival of the de facto states. In Abkhazia this includes the President (HoS), Prime Minister (HoG), Speaker of Parliament (SoP), Foreign Minister (MFA), Interior Minister (MoI), General Prosecutor (GP), Defence Minister (MoD), Chief of the General Staff (CHOD), Head of the State Security Service (SGB), Director of the Defence College (SVOKU), and Secretary of the Security Council (SOVBEZ). In South Ossetia this includes the President (HoS), Head of Presidential Administration (PA), Prime Minister (HoG), Speaker of Parliament (SoP), Foreign Minister (MFA), Interior Minister (MoI), General Prosecutor (GP), Emergencies Minister (MoE), Defence Minister (MoD), Chief of the General Staff (CHOD), Head of State Security Committee (KGB), Director of Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and Secretary of the Security Council (SOVBEZ). Our coding rules take into account the fact that officials can commit to the separatist project for different reasons, either one of which is sufficient for passing as a “son of the soil.” We first search for cultural ties in the form of surnames characteristic of the state-bearing nation. If evidence thereof is found we code the official as a "titular son." Otherwise we look for territorial ties in the form of a birth place located in the domain of the de facto state. If evidence thereof is found we code the official as a "territorial son." Otherwise we search for ideological ties in the form of a preceding commitment to the separatist cause. If evidence thereof if found we code the official as an "adopted son." If neither of these ties can be validated, then we scour their biographies for signs of a past service record in - or a prior career reliant on - the Russian state. When evidence thereof is found we label the official as a “servant of the empire.” We gathered information from open sources in English, Georgian, and Russian. We retrieved data from the websites of separatist institutions, local information agencies, and newspapers covering the region. We also consulted several autobiographies, as well as sources of investigative character. The Commission for Ethics in Research at Charles University's Faculty of Social Sciences approved this project on 2021-05-15.