September 02, 2025

Racial Attack Goes Viral


Racial Attack Goes Viral
A Man shouting at an Uzbek taxi driver in Khimki. Tipichnye Khimki, Telegram.

On August 24, a Russian man harassed and shouted racist remarks at an Uzbek taxi driver. A video of the incident went viral, prompting a response from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to eyewitnesses, the altercation in Khimki, northwest of Moscow's city center, began when a taxi briefly blocked the passage to a yard to allow a garbage truck to pass. A passerby wearing glasses and a cap began yelling at the driver, "Where did you come from? Are you home or where is it? Did you come here to work?" The conductor nodded. The aggressor yelled in his face, “Do not open your mouth. You are a slave, a slave of the Russians." The attacker then said, "In Uzbekistan, you didn't find anything for yourself, you come to us. You are not at your home; you came to work, [so] work!" The driver then gets back in his car and drives off.

Video of the incident went viral. A Khimki resident named Anna claimed in an online forum to have witnessed the attack and said the taxi driver hadn't done anything wrong. Internet users claimed to identify the aggressor and his address. However, his name was not revealed by the media.

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its official Telegram channel that ensuring the protection of its citizens abroad was a top priority. In response to the incident, the statement encouraged Uzbek citizens in Russia to "contact the appropriate law enforcement agencies in the host state." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that citizens abroad have the right to "receive legal or consular assistance" at Uzbekistan's consulates and embassy. The taxi driver has not contacted Uzbekistan's diplomatic authorities.

The latest xenophobic incident is not new. On June 10, Tashkent had to formally ask Moscow to treat Uzbek migrants with respect. Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that its citizens were subjected to "unauthorized inspections, disrespect, and rude treatment" in Russia.

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