Uzbekistan lodged a formal diplomatic note with Russia over a viral video that shows a man insulting an Uzbek taxi driver in a Moscow suburb.
In the video, which circulated online last week, a man is heard yelling, “You’re a slave to Russians,” and “You’re not at home, you’ve come to work, so work,” at a driver in Khimki, just north of Moscow.
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry called on Russian law enforcement authorities to identify the man and press charges against him.
“An inquiry is underway into the case that sparked wide public outcry,” ministry spokesman Akhror Burkhanov said in a video statement on Tuesday.
He added that Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry “closely monitors information circulating on social networks and the media, and cooperates with the relevant authorities of foreign states.”
Russian authorities have not publicly commented on the incident as of Wednesday afternoon.
The diplomatic note marks the second such appeal from Uzbekistan since June, when it protested what it called “unauthorized inspections and cases of disrespectful and rude treatment” of its nationals in Russia.
Neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have also sent similar diplomatic notes this year, condemning mass arrests of their citizens.
Russia tightened its migration policies after a deadly concert hall attack near Moscow in March 2024, which the Islamic State claimed responsibility for. Several Tajik citizens were later arrested in connection with the shooting.
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