▁Si ber ian ▁Cad et ▁Corps ▁searched ▁cad et ▁Ar sen y ▁Sam son ov , ▁aged ▁ 1 6 , ▁for ▁ill ic it ▁items ▁and ▁found ▁a ▁pro clam ation ▁entitled ▁" To ▁Patri ots ▁of ▁Si ber ia ," ▁attributed ▁to ▁a ▁collect ive ▁author ship ▁of ▁Gr ig ory ▁Pot an in , ▁Nikol ay ▁Y adr int se v , ▁S . S . ▁Sh ash kov , ▁et ▁al . ▁The ▁idea ▁of ▁an ▁autonom ous ▁Si ber ia ▁was ▁supported ▁by ▁Russian ▁an arch ist ▁Mik h ail ▁Bak un in , ▁hoping ▁it ▁would ▁become ▁a ▁dem ocr atic ▁state , ▁prosper ous ▁within ▁a ▁union ▁with ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁leading ▁to ▁the ▁collapse ▁of ▁Imperial ▁Russia . ▁Si ber ia ▁was ▁seen ▁by ▁local ▁think ers ▁and ▁sett lers ▁as ▁means ▁of ▁escape ▁from ▁the ▁opp ression ▁of ▁the ▁Russian ▁Empire , ▁and ▁the ▁seed ▁of ▁a ▁possible ▁free ▁and ▁dem ocr atic ▁country ▁that ▁would ▁spread ▁freedom ▁across ▁Asia . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁and ▁at ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁Si ber ian ▁regional ists ▁led ▁by ▁Pot an in ▁and ▁Y adr int se v ▁formed ▁a ▁legal ▁opposition ▁to ▁Russian ▁colonial ism ▁in ▁Si ber ia ; ▁they ▁wrote ▁many ▁books ▁and ▁articles , ▁and ▁organized ▁research ▁into ▁Si ber ian ▁cult ures , ▁econom ics , ▁races , ▁national ities , ▁etc . ▁Y adr int se v '