What awaits in court the head of the Uzbek community Baratov, who liked to call names of the members of the SVO

The Moscow prosecutor’s office approved the indictment and transferred to court the criminal case against the notorious president of the Uzbek community “ Vatandosh ” Usman Baratov, who made obscene jokes about the members of the SVO. What sentence does he face?

What is Baratov accused of?

A criminal case was opened against the president of the Uzbek community “Vatandosh” Baratov under the second part of Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (incitement of hatred and enmity, as well as humiliation of the dignity of a group of persons on the basis of belonging to a social group, committed in public). Moreover, he has already been brought to administrative responsibility for similar things.

If Baratov is found guilty, he faces up to six years in prison

The investigation established that “Baratov and his accomplices, the criminal case against whom was separated into separate proceedings, on December 16, 2023, posted in the public domain on the Internet a picture of a chicken with text, which, based on the conclusion of a psychological and linguistic forensic examination, contains signs of inciting hatred and enmity, and also humiliation of the dignity of a group of persons on a social basis – citizens of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) and participants in a special military operation.” The case was transferred for hearing to the Stupinsky District Court of the Moscow Region. If Baratov is found guilty, he faces up to six years in prison.

Who is Baratov

Baratov opened a national organization of Uzbeks in the capital in 1990

Usman Baratov is 65 years old, he was born in Uzbekistan, in Fergana. In 1980 he graduated from the agronomic department of the Andijan Institute of Cotton Growing. Before the army, he worked in his specialty: first as an agronomist on a state farm in Fergana, later as a junior researcher at the All-Union Institute of Cotton Growing.

Then there was the army and service in Afghanistan. In 1982, after demobilization, he came to Moscow, where he continued his postgraduate studies at the Institute of Soil Science. With the collapse of the USSR, the young specialist did not go home; he remained in the capital, where he exchanged his Soviet passport for a Russian one. Thus, Baratov* was never even a citizen of Uzbekistan.

Nevertheless, he was always interested in the life of compatriots abroad: in 1990 he opened a national organization of Uzbeks in the capital, and a year later the organization “Vatandosh” – translated from Uzbek as “compatriot” – officially appeared in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism).

Here in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), Usman Baratov tries to stay close to power; judging by social networks, he participates in many high-profile events and, in particular, in meetings of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism), and in 2016 he even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to become a State Duma deputy.

What scandals did the head of the Uzbek community get into?

Baratov tries to stay close to power; judging by social networks, he participates in many status events

A criminal case was opened against Baratov after a post appeared on his VK page in mid-December in which members of the SVO were called “roosters.” The corresponding picture has been attached. Military correspondents noticed the publication and demanded that the Investigative Committee respond to such statements.

And after that, other remarks from Baratov began to appear on the Internet. For example, he was offended that on Russian TV the word “Russian (-th, -oe)” began to be replaced with “Russian”. They say this infringes on the rights of other peoples of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) who do not want to be Russian.

— Russian passport is nonsense! There is no Russian passport, there are Russian passports.Adaptation is needed, integration is needed, but one cannot assimilate! — stated the head of Vatandosha.

Even earlier – in October last year – Baratov was outraged that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called St. Petersburg “the imperial capital of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism).” The social activist accused the head of the Russian Orthodox Church of belligerence and “imperial rhetoric” and advised him to change his profession – for example, go to the front to fight in the Wagner group or in the French Legion.

How Baratov* wants to populate Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) with fellow countrymen

Uzbekistan also suffered from Baratov. He calls the country’s leadership a “dictatorial regime” with which Uzbek citizens have no future.

Baratov is very popular with foreign media working for the countries of Central Asia and writing in Uzbek and Russian: for example, the British BBC and the American Radio Liberty (in the Uzbek version – Radio Ozodlik). Recently, “independent media” have been circulating Baratov’s opinion regarding Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz labor migrants and their families living in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) illegally.

According to the head of Vatandosha, Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), as the successor of the USSR, must unconditionally recognize all of them as its citizens and distribute passports to them. Baratov calls on all fellow migrant workers from all countries of the world to move en masse to Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism).

— I advise Uzbek citizens to go to Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) rather than return to Uzbekistan, where there is a dictatorial regime, where they will not be able to feed their families. If they move to Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), they will be allocated land in the Far East or Siberia for each person. This means that a family of five can receive five hectares of land. After some time [узбеки] can create a second Uzbekistan on Russian territory. I advise this in order to prevent unrest and bloodshed due to unemployment and hopelessness after returning [узбекских трудовых мигрантов] to Uzbekistan, — declares the head of the organization.

Where and on what did Baratov live?

Judging by the archives of the FSSP, over the last five or six years he often had small debts

Officially, Usman Baratov is registered on the outskirts of a working-class village in the urban district of Stupino – this is the southern direction of the Moscow region. Until some point, his children lived there: 29-year-old Madina Baratova and 24-year-old Umar. Later, the son registered in a nine-story panel building in the capital’s Tushino district.

The head of the family in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) worked in private security companies and in departmental security. In 2004, he became a private entrepreneur and owned a shop where he sold vegetables and fruits, tobacco, tea and coffee. In 2021, the Federal Tax Service liquidated the individual entrepreneur as inactive.

Formally, Baratov does not live well and officially does not like to pay his debts. Judging by the archives of the FSSP, over the last five or six years he often had small debts (up to 200 thousand rubles) that the man could not pay. However, not all enforcement proceedings resulted in payments: at least four of them were closed due to the impossibility of finding the debtor, and another due to lack of property.

Baratov does not live richly and officially does not like to pay his debts