According to the law - of course Tatarstan is still a part of Russia. But anybody who visits Tatarstan or tatar villages says that differences between Russia and Tatarstan are tremendous, given that Tatarstan send to Moscow about 75% of its gathered taxes.
Because I'm a tatar, not a russian. Or you think than I must be happy when somebody think that I'm a russian?
Your friends are not tatars - they are mankurts.
Texas is an American state - there live americans. Tatarstan is a conquested country with different religion, nation, traditions. So the comparision is not correct.