Russian MP calls Siberia “the land of the ancient Uzbeks”

Khalid Tagi-Zade, a deputy of the Communist Party in the Duma of Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, has sparked controversy with a statement claiming that Siberia is the historical homeland of the Uzbeks. He made the remark during a parliamentary session on May 29, while discussing demographic issues related to the indigenous population and the growing migration of Uzbek citizens to Siberia.

“The historical Siberian Khanate — Kochim Khan ruled here, and he was from the Shaybanid dynasty, that is, from the Bukhara Khanate. Maybe the current migrants are returning to their historical homeland?” said Tagi-Zade.

His comments drew sharp criticism from several Russian public figures and experts, who accused him of encouraging separatist sentiments under the guise of “restoring historical justice.”

“If migrants from Uzbekistan start claiming they are returning to their ancestral lands, then who are the local people living here? This is a dangerous road. The path from ethnic identity to territorial claims is being quietly laid,” warned Russian publicist Sergey Kolyasnikov.

Roman Antonovsky, a Moscow-based PR expert and author of the Telegram channel "Sini Monarkhii", also criticized Tagi-Zade’s remarks.

“Tagi-Zade is a clear example of why migrants who have received Russian citizenship should face certain limitations. He is not assimilating, but rather promoting the interests of a foreign people on Russian soil,” Antonovsky said. He went so far as to call for Tagi-Zade’s deportation and disqualification from participating in politics.

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

Tagi-Zade served as a deputy of the Megion City Duma from 2019 to 2021, leading the Communist Party faction. Since 2021, he has been a deputy in the Duma of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra.