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The Russian political scientist and historian Mikhail Smolin came to a shocking opinion. He stated on Russian television that he did not recognize four states and nationalities in Russia’s immediate neighborhood. He therefore described them as false nations that actually belong to Russia and should return to its rule.
Russian historian and political scientist Mikhail Smolin appeared on Russian television with shocking opinions. In the discussion program he discussed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the republics that emerged after 1991. He particularly referred to Russia’s neighboring states.
According to Smolin, the creation of these states was a historical mistake and he described the nationalities inhabiting these states as artificially created. “In the beginning there was the Kazakh SSR, which was part of the Soviet Union. This means that there were no Kazakhs anywhere. And then the Kyrgyz SSR was founded in this republic,” Smolin described his thoughts.
In addition to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which are located in Central Asia, Smolin also spoke about the Uzbeks and Azerbaijanis, both of which have their own states, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. “These nations were created by a decision from above. Uzbeks did not exist before the collapse. The same Azerbaijanis. There was no Azerbaijani nation,“claimed Smolin.
Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister, drew attention to Smolina’s achievement. He published his translation on a social network X. “This is one of the most common Russian tales. In it there is a creative nation, namely Russia, and the so-called smaller nations,” he added to the post.
Russian “historian” Mikhail Smolin said on a Russian television talk show that Soviet Russia created both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and peoples such as Uzbeks and Azerbaijanis.
This is one of the typical Russian narratives: there is the “creator” nation (Russia) and “lesser” nations. pic.twitter.com/nFEHG8kvJi
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) January 23, 2024
Smolin was wrong on all counts. The nations he mentions existed not only before the founding of the Soviet Union, but often even before the founding of the Russian Empire itself in the 16th century. For example, the Kyrgyz first appeared in the 10th century. The Kazakhs separated from them around the 15th century. The origins of the Uzbeks go back to the Middle Ages, the Azeris even to the ancient Persian Empire.
However, such rhetoric is nothing new for Smolin. He made similar comments in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula. At that time, he denied Ukraine’s claims to independence and the inviolability of its borders. “Ukrainism is a revival of pagan wilderness multiplied by steppe anarchy. The country of Little Russia (obsolete name for Ukraine, editor’s note) are an inseparable part of the Russian state,“, Smolin claimed, according to Putin’s list portal.
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