“Don’t Go to Russia 3”: Russian calls an Uzbek a slave?

This offensive video has outraged the Uzbek segment of social media for several days. The footage of the incident was first shared on August 23. It was later reported that the confrontation occurred at a residential complex called Solnechnaya Sistema in Khimki, Moscow Region. Public information confirms the existence of this complex. The peculiar color scheme of the apartment buildings and their iron fences match the images from the viral video, which spread rapidly online days ago. The identical features confirm that this disturbing incident indeed took place in Khimki, Moscow Region.

However, it remains uncertain whether the victim was an Uzbek citizen and whether the individual who humiliated him was Russian with extremist views. No official authority has clarified these details, and there has been no formal statement for several days. Yet the repeated mention of Uzbekistan in the insults, as well as the highly degrading phrase “You are a slave of the Russians,” strongly suggests the confrontation was between a nationalist Russian and a labor migrant from Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the repeated statement “You came here because there is nothing in Uzbekistan” reveals much about the aggressor’s attitude.

Various sources offer conflicting accounts. Some claim the man who made the insulting remarks was a local resident, while the victim was an Uzbek taxi driver. The argument reportedly began over a misunderstanding about a parking space. This suggests that the filming started midway through the dispute, perhaps after the aggressor asked where the migrant was from, learned of his background, and then launched his verbal attack. Otherwise, there would have been little reason to mention Uzbekistan twice. In fact, no further evidence is needed to grasp the nature of the incident. Even if the victim was not Uzbek, the insults clearly targeted all migrants working in Russia — Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, and others.

Why is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs silent?

At a time when information about this incident remains scarce, QALAMPIR.UZ contacted the press secretary of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek clarification. As noted above, there has been no official confirmation of whether the victim is a citizen of Uzbekistan. Nevertheless, MFA press secretary Ahror Burhonov addressed how a citizen of any country should act in such cases. According to him, this is primarily a civil matter between individuals. Therefore, a migrant whose rights have been violated should first contact local law enforcement in the Russian Federation. His comments suggest that it would not be appropriate for the MFA to intervene in a dispute that did not involve state bodies.

An objective assessment confirms this is a civil matter. The victim was not harassed by Russian law enforcement, such as OMON riot police. The aggressor was either a passerby or a local resident of the Solnechnaya Sistema complex. In such cases, the victim should immediately file a complaint with local authorities. If they fail to take appropriate action, the individual should then contact Uzbekistan’s diplomatic missions in Russia. Uzbek consulates operate in several cities, including St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Vladivostok. There is also an embassy in Moscow. A migrant working in Khimki can directly seek assistance from the embassy. These are not official instructions from the MFA but rather the simplest and most effective way to protect one’s rights.

There have been previous instances when Uzbekistan’s MFA protested the mistreatment of its citizens by Russian security forces. For example, on June 8 of this year, footage surfaced showing OMON officers raiding a dormitory in Moscow’s Strogino district to check migrants’ documents. The video showed Uzbek and other migrant men being forced out of their rooms, beaten, and humiliated. This is how document checks are reportedly carried out in Russia, a country where legal culture has long eroded. Such treatment is normalized in a nation with a history of colonialism, where not only intellectuals of occupied nations but also its own citizens have faced brutal repression.

Uzbekistan quickly responded to that incident. Two days later, during a scheduled monthly meeting with Russian officials on migration issues, Uzbek representatives expressed concern over reports of unauthorized searches, disrespect, and abusive treatment of Uzbek citizens in Russia. They stressed the need for concrete measures to prevent such cases and called on Russian authorities to uphold international law and human rights for all foreign citizens. Uzbekistan also urged Russian agencies to treat its citizens with respect and avoid degrading their dignity. The MFA press service reported that Uzbekistan’s embassy in Moscow had sent a diplomatic note to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, requesting an official explanation.

In response, Russian MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova said an investigation was underway and that the findings would be shared with Uzbekistan’s relevant authorities. However, months have passed since the incident, and no details have been made public. It remains unclear whether Moscow ignored Uzbekistan’s request or whether information was provided but never released.

Uzbek migrants face systematic pressure

On June 28 of this year, authorities in St. Petersburg, one of Russia’s most prominent cities, banned taxi companies from hiring foreign workers operating under a patent system. The restriction, in accordance with the relevant article and clause of the Federal Law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation,” applies specifically to the sector of “car taxis and cars rented with a driver” and is set to remain in force until the end of this year. The decree issued by the governor of St. Petersburg granted employers a three-month period to terminate existing employment relationships and recruit new staff to continue their operations.

A patent is a document that grants foreign nationals the legal right to work in Russia. It is required for citizens of countries that have a visa-free regime with Russia. However, there is an exception: citizens of countries that are full members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)—a Moscow-led organization widely seen as politically motivated—are permitted to work in Russia without a patent. Consequently, this ban does not affect workers from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, or Kyrgyzstan. The official justification for banning workers from countries that require patents was to “ensure safety, improve service quality, and create jobs for Russian citizens.” Yet, by this logic, workers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, both EAEU observers, and Azerbaijan, which has distanced itself from Kremlin-led initiatives, are being targeted while EAEU member states remain unaffected.

Just six weeks later, on August 11, the St. Petersburg administration introduced amendments to the decree, adding a clause prohibiting foreign workers employed under patents from working as couriers. This extended the restrictions to all types of transport, including food delivery services. The measure came into effect on August 21, with officials again citing the same reasons: improving safety and service quality, as well as creating new jobs for Russian citizens, especially young people and students.

At first glance, these decisions may seem absurd, but a deeper look suggests a clear political motive: pressuring Uzbekistan, a strategically located country often called the gateway to Central Asia, to join the largely ineffective Eurasian Economic Union. Established in 2014, the EAEU counts Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia as full members, while Uzbekistan, Iran, and Cuba hold observer status. Uzbekistan has been an observer since 2020, and with Tashkent actively pursuing accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), full membership in the Kremlin-backed bloc appears unlikely.