Federal Republic of Lostisland

**Motto***In nomine libertatis*In the name of liberty

 **Anthem**National Anthem of Lostisland

Lostisland is a worldwide self-governing entity and an autonomous social and cultural group functioning akin to the Order of Malta. Diverging from numerous other micronations, Lostisland refrains from asserting territorial statehood sovereignty and instead characterizes itself as a cultural and social project.

## History

### Role-Playing Game

The predecessor of Lostisland — a roleplaying game with the same name was founded on 2 July 2008 by a group of Russian students. In September 2010 it was transformed into a micronation and the Republic of Lostisland was officially established, modeled after the Republic of San Marino. The two admins of the game, Yaroslav Mar and Stepan Ignatyev became the Captains Regent (Heads of State) of the newborn nation. On 3 September 2010 the accepted constitution of the Republic of Lostisland was published on the official website. On 23 October 2010, during the celebration of the birthday of Captain Regent Stepan Ignatyev, was signed and stamped with the State Seal the first Certificate of Citizenship.

### Symbolic declaration of sovereignty

In March 2011 a veteran Russian micronationalist Dr. Ilya Pakhomov advised Captain Regent Yaroslav Mar to symbolically claim Lostislandic sovereignty over Hunter Island: a remote volcanic islet in South Pacific which had been regarded a disputed territory of France and Vanuatu for several decades. The dispute erupted out of a legal collision over the uncertainty of the island's status, designated on some maps as French, on other maps as British, or not mentioned at all. When in the 1980 the New Hebrides received independence, Hunter Island wasn't transferred to the newly-founded Republic of Vanuatu. On 11 March 2011 a symbolic declaration of sovereignty over Hunter Island was signed by the Captains Regent.

### Expedition to Hunter Island

In April 2012 a New Zealandic sea captain Martin Legof approached the Captains Regent with a proposal to arrange a vessel expedition to Hunter Island and plant the Lostislandic flag there. After the proposal was accepted, Legof was appointed the Minister of Transport of Lostisland and put in charge of arranging the expedition.

Implementing a project of such magnitude required coordinated efforts of both the Ministry of Transport and the Captains Regent. A highly resistant Lostislandic flag was manufactured in Moscow and shipped to the Ministry's HQ in Auckland (New Zealand), together with a list of citizens that was supposed to be planted on the island in a time capsule. The package was delivered to the Ministry on 2 July 2012, which coincided with the fourth anniversary of the foundation of Lostisland, and the next day a 75-feet yacht Sylfia, commissioned by the Ministry of Transport for the expedition, set sail from the New Zealand harbor of Kerikeri.

On 12 July the yacht approached the island, but severe weather conditions made disembarking impossible. However, a number of photos with Captain Legof holding the Lostislandic flag in front of Hunter Island were taken, and the expedition was viewed by Lostislandic citizens as a huge success.

### Resignation of Stepan Ignatyev and the merger with Pavlov

On 5 February 2013 Captain Regent Stepan Ignatyev announced his resignation. Given that Ignatyev had been involved with Lostisland since 2009, the announcement came as a surprise to the Lostislandic community, and no specific reason for the resignation was announced. In accordance with the then Lostislandic constitution, the remaining Captain Regent Yaroslav Mar appointed honorary Lostislandic citizen Dr. Ilya Pakhomov, who had recommended to claim Hunter Island, as Acting Captain Regent for a monthly term. A snap election of Captain Regent was called, and Pavlovian King Denys (Tezdzhanenko), who had recently obtained Lostislandic citizenship, scored a decisive victory. Denys was inaugurated and took the Oath of Office as Captain Regent of the Republic of Lostisland on 7 March.

Denys, who after becoming the Lostislandic Head of State still remained the King of Pavlov, proposed to merge the two projects into one. A referendum on unification took place in both Lostisland and Pavlov, and with the majority of citizens supporting it, the Federal Republic of Lostisland was officially formed on 4 April 2013. In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Hunter Island, which outlined the conditions of the merger, the office of Captains Regent was replaced with a President and a Prime Minister, the Republic of Lostisland was abolished, and the Kingdom of Pavlov became the Federation of Pavlov as part of the Federal Republic of Lostisland. The Federal Republic took over the treaties and diplomatic relations of its predecessors, including Pavlov's seat in the Antarctic Micronational Union, which expanded Lostisland's territorial claims to Alexander Island in Antarctica. The title of Prince of Pavlov was created for the former King of the Pavlovians, which to date remains the only Lostislandic noble title and fountain of honor, and is still held by its inaugural owner. All Pavlovian citizens retained their titles of nobility, which effectively turned Lostisland into an aristocratic republic. Former Captains Regent Yaroslav Mar and Denys Tezdzhanenko became President and Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Lostisland respectively.

### Pavlov Crisis

While the majority of Pavlovians supported the unification, a number of citizens voiced opposition refused to recognize the unification as legitimate and in the beginning of May declared a separatist Republic of Pavlov. On 10 May 2013 internal tensions within Pavlov caused Tezdzhanenko to resign as Prime Minister and call for the independence of Pavlov. In accordance with the Constitution of Lostisland, he was replaced as Prime Minister by the Supreme Judge Irina Sopas.

According to the Treaty of Hunter Island, secession of a founding member of the Federal Republic wasn't possible; an agreement was finally reached with the mediation of Daniel Morris, himself a Pavlovian and a Lostislandic citizen. The rebel Republic of Pavlov was reintegrated as the Federation of Pavlov on the condition of being renamed to Federation of Belastrova and changing flag, while Denys Tezdzhanenko founded the Pavlovian Royal House in Exile with the old Pavlovian national symbols, but dropped the claim to be the legal successor of the historical Kingdom of Pavlov. Daniel Morris became the Governor of the Federation of Belastrova, and the Federal Republic of Lostisland retained its AMU seat.

### Rapprochement with Pavlov

Relations between the Federal Republic of Lostisland and the Pavlovian Royal House in Exile, while initially strained, gradually began to warm up by late 2013. On 25 December 2013 Denys Tezdzhanenko founded the Grand Principality of Snežanopol as an Antarctic micronation with claims over Graham Land and Liegé Island and took the regnal name of Prince Deniz I. Though Snežanopol went inactive somewhere in mid-2013, after a series of clandestine talks between President Yaroslav Mar and Prince Deniz, on 14 September 2014 the Grand Principality of Pavlov was officially established as a successor state of Snežanopol. Pavlov's Declaration of Independence included a request to the Federal Republic of Lostisland to accept the Grand Principality as an associated state of Lostisland. Within minutes the Grand Principality of Pavlov was recognized by the Federal Republic of Lostisland. The request to become an associated state of Lostisland was granted on 16 September, when the Treaty of Eternal Friendship and Alliance between the Federal Republic of Lostisland and the Grand Principality of Pavlov was signed by both parties; according to the provisions of the treaty, citizens of Pavlov were granted Lostislandic citizenship, Lostisland undertook to defend Pavlov in case of aggression, the Grand Principality was recognized as the successor in dignity to the Kingdom of Pavlov, while the Federal Republic through its Federation of Belastrova was recognized as the legal successor of the Kingdom of Pavlov.

### Constitutional reform and Prime Ministerial election

The constitution of 2013 was tailored for the merger with Pavlov; after the Pavlov Crisis erupted and a number of high-ranked former Pavlovian citizens left Lostisland, the political system was no longer representative of Lostislandic realities. Particularly, the Grand National Assembly, envisaged by the constitution, never managed to become a full-fledged legislature and mostly remained inactive; the same applied to minor political parties created after the Federal Republic was formed.

In his New Year speech on 31 December, President Yaroslav Mar announced that starting from 1 January the constitution and all the political parties will be abolished, he himself will become the President for Life and assume full control of the three branches of power till a new founding law comes into force, and that the first in Lostisland's history election of a Prime Minister will take place on 1 February.

With the new treaty between Lostisland and Pavlov, Denys Tezdzhanenko once again became a Lostislandic citizen. Marking his return to Lostislandic politics, he submitted his candidacy for Prime Minister and was declared the winner on 4 February 2015 with 54,5% of the vote.

After his return to power, Tezdzhanenko drafted the new Constitution of the Federal Republic of Lostisland, which was adopted on a referendum on 30 May. The constitution ended a period of legal vacuum in Lostisland and reaffirmed Yaroslav Mar's status as the President for Life, specifying that the first presidential election will take place only after his death or voluntary resignation.

### 2018 snap election

The new constitution made the Prime Minister of Lostisland an elected position with a 4-year term, scheduling the next election for 2019. However, on 23 March 2018 Denys Tezdzhanenko submitted a resignation letter on behalf of the entire government to President Yaroslav Mar, citing the "failure of even single member of [the government]" to reply to a private notice he had distributed five days ago among government members. The resignation was nominally accepted, with Tezdzhanenko and all government members continuing to serve as Acting Prime Minister and Acting Ministers respectively, till a new Prime Minister is elected. The resignation of Denys Tezdzhanenko was preceded by a controversial interview, in which he called his own government "a group of corrupt elitists" and compared Lostisland to a rat nest which needs to be cleaned out.

The election saw the participation of four candidates: Israeli producer Elisha Mendelson, Lostislandic Ambassador to Austria Dr. Hannes Bald, an Indian diplomat and social activist Dr. Arvind Kumar Sharma (not to be confused with his namesake, member of the Parliament of India, and Denys Tezdzhanenko himself, who stood for re-election despite his earlier resignation.

On 21 April it was announced that for the first time in Lostislandic history, no candidate managed to secure an absolute majority, and the two candidates with most votes — Tezdzhanenko with 40% and Mendelson with 29.1% — will meet in the second round. The election was marred with many Lostislandic citizens in Russia being unable to access the voting portal, as its IP got blocked by the Russian Government amid the attempts to ban Telegram.

On 5 May Denys Tezdzhanenko was announced Prime Minister Elect, beating Elisha Mendelson with 54.8% of the vote. The new cabinet of ministers was assembled on 27 May, with Tezdzhanenko's running mate, a Russian socialite, and opera singer Maria Ostroukhova becoming the Deputy Prime Minister. Denys Tezdzhanenko is expected to serve as Prime Minister until at least 2022 unless he resigns early; the Lostislandic Constitution doesn't limit the number of terms for Prime Minister.

### 2019 corruption scandal

In April 2019 Prime Minister Denys Tezdzhanenko gave an interview to the Lostislandic website, in which he — following the style of his 2018 interview — harshly criticized his own government for corruption. The Prime Minister especially criticized the judicial, saying that he has yet to "see any in positions of top leadership in our Courts or Prosecutors office who are not themselves corrupt to the bone".

The next day after the interview, Prosecutor General Nazar Chagatay himself accused Tezdhzanenko of corruption, vote-rigging and conspiring with a hostile foreign power to secure re-election, and announced the start of a criminal investigation against the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Tezdzhanenko rejected the accusations, calling it a "public lynching without any form of evidence whatsoever", and called upon the President to intervene. The President didn't intervene in the conflict between the executive and the judiciary branches until May, when the investigation against Tezdzhanenko was re-entrusted to the Federal Intelligence and Security Service (FISS) together with an investigation against the Prosecutor General. As of May 2020, no updates from the FISS have been released.

### Meeting with Ambassador Robert Meyer

On 26 May 2019 the Ambassador of Lostisland to the United States Robert Meyer visited Moscow to meet the Lostislandic diaspora, in what was the first time that a Lostislandic citizen from abroad visited Russia. Ambassador Meyer was greeted by President Yaroslav Mar and Prosecutor General Nazar Chagatay as they got out of the state car and proceeded to the meeting hall, where the welcome messages were delivered. Prime Minister Tezdzhanenko, who was unable to attend the reunion, addressed the audience in his video message, where he announced he will not seek another term in 2022.

Ambassador Meyer reassured the audience he had played no role in the Novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal and in the subsequent Amesbury poisoning. The Ambassador confirmed that he had never met Sergei and Yulia Skripal, never exposed them to the Novichok agent and that Lostislandic postage stamps were never used to mail the Novichok from Hunter Island to London.

At the end of the event, the President presented the new citizens of Lostisland with their Certificates of Citizenship, and a traditional heraldic cake with the Coat of Arms of Lostisland was served. The reunion was assisted by prominent Lostislandic officials, among them the Supreme Judge George Oprea, the Minister of Health Dr. Andrej Golubew MD, and former Minister of Economics Viktor Medvedev.

### Defenestration of 2020

On 15 September 2020 President Yaroslav Mar announced the recertification of the diplomatic service, citing the necessity to figure out which of the Ambassadors are truly dedicated to Lostisland, and which joined the diplomatic service merely for prestige. All the Ambassadors were given until 20 September to fill in the same application form that is used for prospective diplomats, to make sure they're active and dedicated to Lostisland, with a forewarning that those who don't do so will be dismissed.

The results of the recertification were announced on 23 September: only 7 out of 14 Ambassadors filled in the form. Following the results of the recertification, the President signed a Decree dismissing the Ambassadors to Austria, Brazil and Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Nigeria. The Ambassadors to Andorra, Croatia, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, and the United States, who did fill in the application, were reconfirmed on their positions.

The term "Defenestration of 2020" was coined by Mart Ian Siapno, the Ambassador to the Philippines who successfully underwent the recertification.

### 2022 constitutional crisis and transfer of power

Denys Tezdzhanenko's term as Prime Minister was due to end on 7 May 2022. On 7 September 2021 President Yaroslav Mar signed a decree formally triggering Article XLVI of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Lostisland, paving way for the 2022 election of Prime Minister.

Tezdzhanenko had in the past given conflicting statements whether he plans or not to seek another term. In a 2019 speech welcoming Ambassador Rob Meyer to Russia, Tezdzhanenko announced he will not seek another term in 2022. In a 2020 interview he reaffirmed his plans but said he may consider a final term "if the President asks [him] to stay."

On 7 November 2021 Tezdzhanenko formally announced his election bid on a joint ticket with Khvicha Koridze: the founder of Lostisland Philosophy Club and Georgian MMA fighter, widely popular among Russian-speaking Lostislandians. Other candidates included, among others, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Minority Affairs Maria Ostroukhova, who ran without Tezdzhanenko's endorsement, and the Ambassador to the Philippines Kit Llorca running on a joint ticket with the then Ambassador to the Malaysia Rishabh Saxena.

The campaign took an unexpected turn on 18 January 2022 when Tezdzhanenko suddenly dropped out of the race. In a letter sent to President Yaroslav Mar and distributed to the Google Group of citizens, the incumbent Prime Minister said that his recent changes in personal and private life, as well as participation in municipal elections, no longer allow him to dedicate sufficient attention to Lostisland. Due to what he described as the “low quality of candidates,” PM Tezdzhanenko refrained from endorsing another candidate and called upon the President to disestablish the office of Prime Minister altogether as it has “little real added value for Lostisland.” Tezdzhanenko's letter effectively announced his retirement from Lostislandic politics after nearly 8 years in office.

Voting took place from 1 to 7 March 2022, to accommodate for citizens from different regions, and saw Maria Ostroukhova scoring a narrow victory over the Llorca/Saxena ticket, by a margin of one vote. As neither candidate managed to score over 50%, this sent the election to a second round, set to take place on 1–7 April.

On 8 April 2022 Maria Ostroukhova was announced the Prime Minister Elect, having won 55.1% of the vote in the runoff against Llorca/Saxena. The implication of her victory was all the more significant as unlike her opponents, Ostroukhova ran on a wholly tongue-in-cheek platform to "reduce the carbon footprint of the Hunter Island Volcano by 200% by implementing the “cork-and-screw” mechanism produced in Mongolia and making Napoleon Bonaparte an honorary Lostislandic citizen" (even though the granting of honorary citizenship is the prerogative of the President, not the Prime Minister.

Ostroukhova officially assumed office on 7 May 2022, following the expiration of Tezdzhanenko's term. However, after just 8 days in office, Ostroukhova suddenly announced her resignation on 14 May in a never released letter to President Yaroslav Mar, citing personal reasons. Prior to her resignation, Ostroukhova had executed no official duty and nominated no cabinet members except for designating her former opponent Kit Llorca the Deputy Prime Minister, thus prompting speculations whether she was ever the lawful Prime Minister, and whether she should be succeeded by Llorca or a snap election needs to be called. The situation constituted a non liquet in Lostislandic law and created a vacuum of power, prompting President Mar to request the Supreme Court of Lostisland to issue a judicial opinion. The opinion was issued on 16 May 2022 by Praesus of the Supreme Court George Oprea, marking the first time in Lostislandic history that the Supreme Court exercised its authority, and confirmed that despite the shortness of her office, Ostroukhova had been the lawful Prime Minister from 7 to 14 May and that a snap election needs be called.

## Politics

Despite its name, modern-day Lostisland doesn't have a federal system of governance; Hunter Island and Alexander Island are nominally considered "Federation of Hunter" and "Federation of Belastrova" respectively, but both claims being symbolic, the division into federations exists only on paper. As both islands are uninhabited, Lostisland doesn't consider its citizens as residents of either federation; the name "Federal Republic" refers to the 2013 merger between the Republic of Lostisland and the Kingdom of Pavlov, which was never carried out as initially planned.

Lostisland is run by a President as Head of State and a Prime Minister as Head of Government and head of the executive; both the President and the Prime Minister are elected for a four-year term; however, according to Article LXXIV of the Constitution, the first presidential election will take place if and when the incumbent President Yaroslav Mar, recognized as the President for Life, leaves office. In effect, this makes Lostisland a de facto constitutional monarchy, albeit a non-hereditary and temporary one.

As a direct democracy, Lostisland doesn't have a legislature; constitutional amendments and laws are voted on universal referendums. The judicial power is vested in the Praesus of the Supreme Court of Lostisland, commonly referred to as the Supreme Judge of Lostisland.

## Government

The Federal Republic of Lostisland doesn't have a specific number of available ministerial portfolios, in accordance with its principle to *"find positions for people, not people for positions"*. In practice, this means that when a citizen knowledgeable in a particular field joins Lostisland, a ministerial position may be created especially for him, and disestablished if they resign or get dismissed. According to the Constitution of Lostisland, the only fixed positions is those of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister; traditionally the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs is also a fixed one.

## Foreign relations

As the successor of the Republic of Lostisland and the Kingdom of Pavlov, the Federal Republic inherited diplomatic ties of both of them. On 18 November 2014 Lostisland announced a change in foreign policy, according to which it no longer enters formal diplomatic relations with micronations nor extends diplomatic recognition, unless special cases. A notable exception to this practice was the 2020 Treaty on Eternal Friendship and Alliance between the Principality of Montescano and the Federal Republic of Lostisland, signed in light of the strong cultural and historical ties between the two nations.

The change of policy didn't immediately affect the previously signed intermicronational treaties, however most of them were signed for a definite period of time and eventually expired on their own. As a result, since 2014 Lostisland maintains a mostly isolationist policy in regards to other micronations, and "foreign relations" with regards to Lostisland refer mostly to the outreach of Lostislandic ambassadors.

Lostisland isn't currently recognized, whether as a state or as an organization, by any UN member state, but enjoys recognition from the World Humanity Commission and the World Fund for Development and Planning. Lostisland received de facto recognition of sorts from FIFA, and President Yaroslav Mar was styled as "His Excellency" in letters from Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands.

Lostisland is a member state of the Union Against Micronational War, the Micronational Cartography Society, the Antarctic Micronational Union, of which President Yaroslav Mar is the Administrative-General, and an original signatory of the Montediszamble Convention, also authored by President Yaroslav Mar and named after Lostisland's proposed capital, itself named after the semi-legendary founder of Lostisland Rolf Diszamble.

## Languages

Lostisland is characterized by linguistic diversity and the absence of a majority language: English, the official language of Lostisland, serves as lingua franca and is only native for about 18% of the Lostislandic population. The status of English in Lostisland is similar to English in India and the European Union. Russian, while having a larger number of native speakers (around 20%), generally isn't spoken by non-Russian Lostislandians.

Despite being founded by Russian speakers, since its transition to a micronation in 2010 Lostisland has been primarily targeting Anglophone audience and maintaining an English web presence. As a result, the Russophone community in Lostisland began losing its dominance around 2012 as non-Russian citizens joined the project and influenced the demographics. This led to antagonization between the Russian elites of Lostisland (commonly referred to as "Old Lostisland") and the non-Russophone newcomers.

The antagonization reached its zenith in early 2013 after the resignation of Captain Regent Stepan Ignatyev when then-Supreme Judge of Lostisland Roman Petrov ran for Captain Regent on a platform of declaring Russian the only official language of Lostisland. However, these plans were buried after the victory of his opponent Denys Tezdzhanenko.

After the 2013 unification with Pavlov and the formation of a Federal Republic, English was proclaimed the only official language of Lostisland, while Russian received the status of regional language, alongside Dutch and Turkish (the dominant languages of former Pavlovian citizens). In 2014 the status of regional language was additionally granted to Spanish.

Language remains a polemical subject in Lostisland, and Russophone Lostislandians have been repeatedly calling for a Russian version of the official website of Lostisland. The government has been continuously rejecting these requests, citing that Russian is a regional language, and should a Russian version be created, Dutch, Turkish and Spanish versions also become necessary. However, since 2015 Lostisland has been maintaining a Russophone VK page and providing translations to Russian for important updates.

Russophone Lostislandians maintain disproportionate representation among senior Lostislandic officials, as all government members are either native speakers of Russian or speak it fluently as a foreign language. Supreme Judge George Oprea is bilingual in Romanian and Russian.

Since 2013 Russian-speaking and Russian Lostislandians no longer constitute a majority, but still maintain a plurality. The political longevity of Denys Tezdzhanenko, who belongs to the Dutch community but fluently speaks Russian and is well-versed in Russian culture, might be explained by his informal status as the guarantor of linguistical status quo, serving as a bridge between Russophone and non-Russophone Lostislandians.

## Economy

Lostisland doesn't collect taxes nor membership fees, and obtaining Lostislandic citizenship is free. Plastic identity cards and certificates of citizenship are available on the Lostislandic online store for those who want to obtain physical evidence of their Lostislandic citizenship, alongside souvenirs with the Lostislandic national symbols. Citizens and foreign supporters who want to help the organization grow are welcome to make voluntary donations in exchange of rewards.

American radio journalist Neal Conan has called Lostisland "a quixotic effort to establish a tax-free libertarian haven". This claim is rejected by Lostisland, due to the fact that it's not possible to incorporate a company in Lostisland nor open a bank account. The two companies associated with Lostisland, which can be considered the primary contributors to the Lostislandic economy – Lostisland Post and MicroFlag – operate according to Russian laws.

In 2017 Lostisland launched a chocolate production and offers its chocolate for sale through the online store.

It is believed that Lostisland is financed through a combination of voluntary donations, profits from Lostisland Post and MicroFlag, and sales from the online store. The organization doesn't disclose any financial information, nor is its annual budget known to the public.

### Lostisland Post

Lostisland Post was founded in May 2012 as a national postal operator of the then Republic of Lostisland, when it issued the first-ever cinderella stamps of Lostisland. As of 2020, Lostisland Post issued a total of 30 stamp series, making it one of the largest micronational posts, and new series are issued each year.

Traditionally Lostisland Post issues stamps to commemorate the anniversaries of prominent historical figures, and since 2017 stamps with the portrait of President Yaroslav Mar are issued each year. Lostisland Post gained international prominence in 2018 when an online newspaper Asia Russia Daily published an article about its Genghis Khan stamp. This led to an increased interest in Lostisland in Mongolia.

Lostislandic postage stamps are available for purchase from the Lostislandic online store, save a few historical ones which are out of stock.

### MicroFlag

MicroFlag was founded in May 2014 and credits itself as the "first lowcost flag supplier". Operating in partnership with Russian textile typographies, MicroFlag is able to offer prices which are reasonably lower than of American and European competitors.

Since its foundation, MicroFlag became the primary choice of micronationalists seeking to get a custom flag made: MicroFlag customers include Adammia, Atlantium, Austenasia, Flandrensis, Dracul, Hortania, Ladonia, Pavlov, Senya and Sirocco, among others, in addition to Lostisland itself.

MicroFlag is a longtime partner of Westarctica, having supplied >300 Westarctican flags over years. In 2019 a MicroFlag-made flag of Westarctica was carried on a plane flying over Antarctica, thereby turning MicroFlag into one of the few companies whose products are present on all continents **including** Antarctica.

In 2018 MicroFlag supplied a 5x10 ft flag for the Republic of Delvera, believed to be the largest micronational flag ever made.

## Culture

Unlike some other micronations, such as Sirocco or Montescano, Lostisland was never intended to be a themed micronation and isn't explicitly modeled after an existing country or a time period. Lostisland in 2010-2013 was mostly reminiscent of San Marino, which could be seen by the rarely used Head of State title of *Captain Regent*. After the 2013 transition to a Federal Republic and the influx of Turkophone members who had been Pavlovian subjects, Lostisland adopted elements of Turkish culture, as seen from the proposed name for a legislature: the Grand National Assembly. Turkish still remains one of the recognized regional languages in Lostisland.

The contemporary Lostislandic cultural identity began forming around 2015, and could be described as a mix of the idealization of democracy and the exploitation of typical Banana republic and conspiracy cliches: the title of President for Life, the prevalence of military uniforms, the adoption of stereotypically Freemasonic elements such as the Eye of Providence on the Coat of Arms, and common jokes about dictatorship and corruption by senior Lostislandic government members. This seemingly controversial combination can be illustrated with so-called *Lostislandisms*: absurdist traditions, cultural artifacts, or memes that are characteristical of Lostisland. Most famous Lostislandisms include the following:

* "Anti-Corruption Envelopes" released in 2019;
* The practice of depicting controversial historical figures on postage stamps, such as Genghis Khan, Pope Alexander VI or Juan Peron, alongside the sitting President Yaroslav Mar;
* Prime Minister Denys Tezdzhanenko accusing his own government of corruption and seeking reelection with a promise to "clean out the rat nest", even though it was no other than himself who had served as the Head of Government for the last three years.

The following quotes by senior Lostislandic officials can also be considered Lostislandisms:

Freelance journalist and contributor to Vanuatu Daily Post Colin Cortbus suggested that Lostisland might be "a[n] absurdist satire of contemporary Russian society"; Lostisland's website openly admits that much of what can be seen on it is intended to be humorous or satirical, but maintains that Lostisland itself is "neither a game nor a satire".

Lostislandic culture values face-to-face interaction and puts special importance to meetings of citizens, called "reunions". Such meetings are usually attended by the President and senior officials in full uniforms, and traditionally a cake with the Coat of Arms if Lostisland is served at the end of the meeting. In May 2019 a meeting of citizens with Rob Meyer, the Lostislandic Ambassador to the United States, took place in Moscow, making it the first time that a Lostislandic citizen from abroad travels to Russia to participate in a reunion.

Lostisland is among the few micronations with a National Anthem that was specially composed, rather than adopted. The National Anthem of Lostisland was composed in 2009 by would-be Captain Regent Stepan Ignatyev in preparation for the declaration of independence.

## References

1. ↑ Declaration of Independence of the Antarctic Territories of the Former Grand Principality of Snezhanopol, retrieved 18 May 2020
2. ↑ Presidential Decree 13/2014 on the Recognition of the Grand Principality of Pavlov, retrieved 18 May 2020
3. ↑ Treaty on Eternal Friendship and Alliance between the Federal Republic of Lostisland and the Grand Principality of Pavlov, Retrieved 18 May 2020
4. ↑ "New Year Speech of His Excellency the President", YouTube, Retrieved 18 May 2020
5. ↑ "Denis Tezdzhan elected Prime Minister", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 23 May 2020
6. ↑ "Universal referendum approves Constitution of Lostisland", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 23 May 2020
7. ↑ "Government Sacked as Prime Minister Resigns, Early Election Called", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 23 May 2020
8. ↑ "‘A Group of Corrupt Elitists’: Prime Minister Slams the Government Ahead of Reelection", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 23 May 2020
9. ↑ "Tezdzhanenko, Mendelson to Meet in Second Round", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
10. ↑ Gallagher, Sean (17 April 2018) In effort to shut down Telegram, Russia blocks Amazon, Google network addresses, *Ars Tecnica*. Retrieved 27 May 2020
11. ↑ "Tezdzhanenko re-elected Prime Minister of Lostisland", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
12. ↑ "President Assembles New Government", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
13. ↑ "PM Tezdzhanenko: ‘Our System is Corrupt to the Bone’", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
14. ↑ "Statement of Prosecutor General Nazar Chagatay on Investigation Against Prime Minister", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
15. ↑ "Statement of Prime Minister Tezdzhanenko on slanderous statement by Nazar Chagatay", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Ambassador to the United States visits Russia", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 27 May 2020
17. ↑ "President overhauls the Diplomatic Service", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 23 September 2020
18. ↑ President announces 2022 election of Prime Minister, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 12 July 2022
19. ↑ PM Tezdzhanenko: Democracy “Not a Sacred Cow”, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 12 July 2022
20. ↑ Denys Tezdzhanenko & Khvicha Koridze announce election bid, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 12 July 2022
21. ↑ Election Statement of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Minority Affairs Maria Ostroukhova, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 12 July 2022
22. ↑ Election Statement of Ambassador to The Philippines Kit Siapno, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 12 July 2022
23. ↑ Denys Tezdzhanenko drops out of Prime Minister race, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 9 August 2023
24. ↑ Ostroukhova, Siapno to meet in runoff, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 9 August 2023
25. ↑ Maria Ostroukhova elected Prime Minister, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 9 August 2023
26. ↑ PM Ostroukhova resigns after 8 days in office; Tezdzhanenko back as Acting PM as snap election called, Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 9 August 2022
27. ↑ "Statement on changes in foreign policy", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 29 May 2020
28. ↑ "Lostisland, Montescano Sign Treaty", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 29 May 2020
29. ↑ "Treaty with the World Humanity Commission signed", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 29 May 2020
30. ↑ "Historic Headquarters Agreement Cements Collaboration Between Lostisland and WFDP", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 9 September 2023
31. ↑ "Donate", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 14 June 2020
32. ↑ Conan, Neal (18 January 2017) Pacific News Minute: France, Vanuatu To Discuss Disputed Matthew and Hunter Islands, *Hawai'i Public Radio*. Retrieved 14 June 2020
33. ↑ "Lostisland to Launch Chocolate Production", Federal Republic of Lostisland, Retrieved 14 June 2020
34. ↑ Сосорбарам, Майдар (2 March 2018) Лостайленд выпустил почтовые марки, посвященные Чингисхану, *Asia Russia Daily*. Retrieved 14 June 2020
35. ↑ MicroFlag, Retrieved 14 June 2020
36. ↑ Facebook page of Westarctica, Facebook, Retrieved 14 June 2020
37. ↑ World's Largest Micronational Flag, Facebook, Retrieved 14 June 2020
38. ↑ Facebook page of Lostisland, Retrieved 22 May 2020
39. ↑ PM Tezdzhanenko: Democracy “Not a Sacred Cow”, Retrieved 22 May 2020
40. ↑ "Speech by Ambassador Robert Meyer to the Lostislandic citizens in Moscow", YouTube, Retrieved 23 May 2020
41. ↑ Cortbus, Colin (11 August 2016) Internet Eccentrics On Expedition To Hunter Island, *Vanuatu Daily Post*. Retrieved 23 May 2020