Russian MP loses salary over “Siberia is homeland of Uzbeks” remark

Khalid Tagi-Zade, a deputy from the Communist Party representing the Khanty-Mansiysk district of Russia, has been deprived of his salary following a controversial statement in which he referred to Siberia as the historical homeland of Uzbeks. This was reported by "Kommersant".

According to the publication, Boris Khokhryakov, Chairman of the District Duma and a member of the United Russia party, condemned the remark as “an unacceptable provocation” and stressed that no interpretation of the statement could justify its intent.

However, Vasily Filippenko, Chairman of the Duma's Committee on Social Development (also from United Russia), stated that the official reason for depriving Tagi-Zade of his salary was his repeated absence from parliamentary and committee meetings. Filippenko noted that the deputy had not proposed any initiatives or submitted information and only raised questions during sessions, suggesting that “he spends the rest of his time on other matters.”

In response, Tagi-Zade addressed the session and urged his colleagues not to escalate the situation.

“Depriving me of my salary will, of course, worsen my condition. I have a family, I have children,” he said.

He explained his absences by stating that he was on vacation and added, “Accepting or refusing to respond to a call is the employee’s right under the Labor Code.”

Tagi-Zade also noted that he was not given enough time to fully explain his statement about the “historical homeland of Uzbeks” because Speaker Khokhryakov had interrupted him.

“My point was that not everyone comes here to ‘live off the state.’ Perhaps some people come with good intentions, feel a shared culture and history, and want to become part of Russia,” he said, defending his remarks.

The decision to strip Tagi-Zade of his salary was supported by 32 deputies, with five abstaining and one voting against.

It is worth noting that during a May parliamentary session on the topic of rising birth rates among migrants in Yugra, Tagi-Zade referred to parts of the Khanty-Mansiysk and Tyumen regions as the “historical Siberian Khanate.” He noted that the territory was once ruled by Kuchum Khan, a descendant of the Uzbek-origin Shaybani dynasty, which had roots in the Bukhara Khanate.

His remarks drew strong criticism from State Duma members across the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and United Russia, who urged the Federal Security Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate Tagi-Zade. Subsequently, the Khanty-Mansiysk Duma removed him from his position as Deputy Chairman of the Social Development Committee. Speaker Khokhryakov also warned that if legal grounds were established, the issue of revoking his parliamentary mandate entirely would be brought forward.