Vladimir Zhirinovsky causes anti-Russian campaign in former USSR states

Zhirinovsky was very emphatic and outspoken about the Kazakh language: “There is no Kazakh language.”

Notorious Russian politician, the leader of the Liberal and Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, has enjoyed quite a lot of media attention recently. This time Zhirinovsky became a thorn in the side of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. The Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan addressed to his Russian colleague, Vladimir Ustinov, with a request to call Vladimir Zhirinovsky into criminal account for “stirring national strife.”

The story started on January 17th, when Zhirinovsky appeared on the air of a Moscow-based radio station. The program was devoted to relations between Russia and Kazakhstan. There is no need to retell Zhirinovsky's statements: the odious politician did not say anything new since his scandalous monologue, in which he called upon George W. Bush to strike Tbilisi, Georgia. It would be simply enough to say that Zhirinovsky was very emphatic and outspoken about the Kazakh language: “There is no Kazakh language. There is no Kazakh written language. There is nothing in Kazakhstan at all!” said he. This sentence was enough to insult the republic and provoke a reaction from the authorities of Kazakhstan.

It took the Kazakh government three weeks to formulate the essence of claims. One may probably explain it with the sluggishness of local bureaucracy. It is noteworthy that the daughter of the Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Dariga, reacted to Zhirinovsky's attack rather quickly. She simply said that Vladimir Zhirinovsky was a fool. Observers say that Dariga Nazarbayev is one of the main candidacies to replace the incumbent Kazakh president. Deputies of the Kazakh government were rather emotional in their comments too. One of the deputies said that Zhirinovsky should “ask Freudians for help.”

It goes without saying that the Russian politician will not go to Freudians. He is not likely to consult his lawyers either: deputy immunity protects the vice speaker of the Russian State Duma from any claims from the Office of the Prosecutor General. However, the above-mentioned statement from the Russian politician has caused an anti-Russian campaign in Kazakh press. It is a rather relevant issue, taking into consideration the fact that it is hard for Russia to maintain its influence in the countries of the former USSR. Just one interview may cause a lot more damage than George Soros, the USA and the EU altogether.