Uzbekistan Summons Russian Ambassador Over Calls for Annexation In a shocking turn of events, Uzbekistan's foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador over a call by a Russian politician to annex the former Soviet republic. This comes after Russian nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin, who is co-chair of A Just Russia - For Truth party, stated that he believed Russia should annex Uzbekistan and other countries whose citizens travel en masse to Russia for work.

The Uzbek foreign ministry told Russian Ambassador Oleg Malginov that Tashkent was deeply concerned about these provocative comments. Malginov, in response, stated that Prilepin's comments had nothing to do with the official Kremlin position. Prilepin's statement has caused unease among other ex-Soviet republics, as Russian public figures have often publicly questioned the sovereignty and territorial integrity of these countries.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry reiterated that such statements are provocative and may have a negative impact on Uzbek-Russian relations. This incident comes amid ongoing economic and ethnic tensions related to the millions of migrant laborers from formerly Soviet republics in Central Asia who work in Russia. The situation has highlighted the delicate balance of power and relationships between these countries, as well as the potential impact of controversial statements made by influential figures.