Russian lawmaker loses post after linking Siberia to Uzbek history

Khalid Tagi-Zade, a deputy from the Communist Party in Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk district, resigned early after his statement that Siberia is the historical homeland of Uzbeks sparked public outrage. This was reported by "Kommersant".

Tagi-Zade’s remarks caused a major stir. Initially, he was investigated on suspicion of extremism and dismissed from his paid post. However, neither the prosecutor’s office nor the Ministry of Internal Affairs found any signs of a criminal offense in his words. Political analysts believe that Tagi-Zade “lost his way” amid rising anti-migration sentiments.

For reference, Khalid Tagi-Zade was born on November 15, 1978, in Sumgait, Azerbaijan SSR. He is of Azerbaijani nationality. In 2001, he graduated from the Siberian Federal University with a degree in forensic chemistry and simultaneously studied at the military faculty of the Siberian Aerospace Academy named after S.A. Reshetnyov.

From 2019 to 2021, he served as a deputy of the Megion City Duma for the sixth and seventh convocations and led the Communist Party faction in the city Duma. Since 2021, he has been a deputy of the Duma of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug–Ugra of the seventh convocation.

It should be recalled that during a parliamentary session in May, where the rising birth rate among migrants in Yugra was discussed, Tagi-Zade referred to parts of the Khanty-Mansiysk and Tyumen regions as the “historical Siberian Khanate.” He stated that the region was once ruled by Kochum Khan, a representative of the Shaybanid dynasty that originated from the Bukhara Khanate, an Uzbek dynasty.

His statement drew attention from State Duma deputies representing the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and United Russia, who called on the Federal Security Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate Tagi-Zade. Following this, the XMAO Duma removed him from the position of deputy chairman of the social development committee. Speaker Khokhryakov also noted that if legal grounds were found, the issue of completely stripping him of his parliamentary powers would be considered.