Kazakh Prosecutor-General Rashid Tusupbekov has asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Ustinov to consider charges against Russian State Duma Deputy Vladimir Zhirinovskii for disparaging comments

Kazakh Prosecutor-General Rashid Tusupbekov has asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Ustinov to consider charges against Russian State Duma Deputy Vladimir Zhirinovskii for disparaging comments the latter made about Kazakhstan in a 17 January interview with Ekho Moskvy, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 9 February. In the interview, Zhirinovskii denied the existence of a Kazakh language and cast doubts on the validity of Kazakh statehood. Tusupbekov noted that such comments are actionable under Article 282 of Russia's Criminal Code, which covers the incitement of interethnic, racial, and religious animosity. But Saulbek Zhamkenuly, an official at the Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service that prosecution is unlikely. "It is hard to foresee the future course of this issue, since...members of parliament enjoy immunity and it is the Russian Duma that is supposed to decide," Zhamkenuly said. For his part, Zhirinovskii was unapologetic, telling RIA-Novosti on 9 February, "There's no need to take offense. The state of Kazakhstan never existed; you can find that in any textbook."