Russian historian Mikhail Smolin talked about the fact that Uzbeks did not exist as a nation before the revolution of 1917. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, commented on Smolin's statement, saying that it was the personal opinion of the historian.
On January 21, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Russian chauvinist historian Mikhail Smolin made a claim in the "Meeting Place" talk show that "before the revolution, there were no Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks and Kazakhs."
"Look at how Kazakhstan appeared! In fact, at first, within the RSFSR, Kazakhstan was called the SSR, and before that there were no Kazakhs at all. Decisions about the formation of nations are so arbitrary. Uzbeks, for example, never existed before the revolution, there was no such name. They took Uzbeks from several nations of Central Asia and created them. Who are Azerbaijanis, there is no such nation," said Smolin.
Notably, earlier the Russian MFA responded to the statement of writer Zakhar Prilepin in this context and stated that his words do not reflect the official position of Moscow.
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