FSB of Russia: "The Ukrainian who called Uzbeks 'dogs' was acting on the orders of Lithuanian intelligence services."

On February 1, the Public Relations Center of the FSB of Russia announced that the author of the provocative video, in which Uzbeks were referred to as dogs, is a citizen of Ukraine, Nikolai Kochmarik, born in 1984. He acted under the direction of Lithuanian intelligence services.

The incident sparked widespread outrage following the video's release on January 19, where a man, claiming to be Russian, made derogatory remarks about representatives of the Uzbek nation. The video quickly went viral on social media.

In the video, he stated: “I keep him (the Uzbek) here like a dog.” When asked by a journalist if he feels this way about all people, he replied: “About Uzbeks, yes, like Alabai dogs.”

The advisor to the Minister of Ecology of Uzbekistan and public figure Rasul Kusherbaev called on the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond to the provocation; however, the agency has yet to issue an official statement.

The FSB of Russia conducted an investigation and established that the individual in the video is a resident of Ukraine, Nikolai Kochmarik, originally from Mykolaiv region. He is currently located in Ukraine. According to intelligence agencies, the video was created and uploaded to a YouTube channel controlled by Lithuanian intelligence services.

— This is a deliberate provocation aimed at inciting interethnic discord, — stated Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — Such video fakes cannot undermine the centuries-old good-neighborly relations between the peoples of Russia and its allies in the CIS.

The FSB also believes that the video is an example of coordinated actions by Ukrainian and Lithuanian intelligence services, as well as their “Western curators,” who seek to undermine relations between Russia and CIS countries, including Uzbekistan.

In Zakharova's statement, it is also emphasized that the unity of the peoples of Russia is one of the traditional values of the country, and friendly relations with the peoples of CIS countries span centuries.