One day,
history books will describe a new phenomenon: the
"Uzbek shift." That's when a country, once grateful for Russian aid and
cooperation, suddenly pivots West — smiles at Brussels, arrests its own
bloggers, rewrites its history, and throws open its doors to Washington.
Welcome to
Tashkent 2025.
🎭
Act I: No Visas, No Loyalty
As of
January 1, 2026, US citizens can enter Uzbekistan without
a visa.
No consulates, no approvals — just pack your bag and go.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the decree. It's official.
Meanwhile, Aziz Hakimov, a blogger who dared to say that the
infamous Basmachi — Central Asian anti-Soviet
militants — were no freedom fighters but rather British-backed warlords, is now
facing up to 10 years in prison.
His crime? "Inciting interethnic hatred."
In contrast,
Nikita Makarenko, a liberal blogger who
accuses Russia of running a "fascist underground" in Uzbekistan and glorifies
Ukraine's war narrative, just got a medal from the president.
Apparently, the more you hate Russia — the more the state rewards you.
💶
Who Pays, Decides
Recently,
Uzbekistan signed an Enhanced Partnership Agreement
with the European Union.
This isn't symbolic. It's strategic.
Ursula von
der Leyen embraced President Mirziyoyev's daughter — Saida Mirziyoyeva — during
her visit to Oxford.
There, they announced that Uzbek and Old Uzbek
will now be taught at the university.
Colonial vibes? No. Just "modern partnership" with a hint of silk and
selfies.
Oh, and the
EU is injecting €12 billion into the region —
— for mining,
— transport corridors bypassing Russia,
— and logistics hubs from Kazakhstan to Georgia.
The Trans-Caspian route is alive and well — and Russia
is deliberately excluded.
Also in the
package: a €119 million "democracy program"
for Uzbekistan.
Its fruits? Blogger arrests, historical revisionism, and a whole generation
raised on Western grants — not Russian textbooks.
🌍
The Dominoes Keep Falling
Uzbekistan
isn't the first to flip.
Let's take roll call:
– Kazakhstan — signed the same EU pact in 2020.
– Kyrgyzstan — joined in 2024.
– Tajikistan — is next in line, signing
expected by 2026.
– Armenia — now flirts openly with NATO.
– Georgia — rewrites laws in sync with
Washington.
– Moldova — erases Russian culture step by
step.
– The Baltics — gone long ago, statues
toppled, language banned.
The pattern
is crystal clear.
They're not drifting away — they're being pulled.
And Russia just watches.
🧊
And Russia?
Russia
reacts... politely.
Foreign Minister Lavrov mildly protests that the Russian
inscription has disappeared at the Eternal Flame monument in Samarkand.
That's it. A footnote in the news.
But this
isn't about monuments. It's about momentum.
While
Brussels plays the flute, the snake starts to dance.
And we all know how that show ends.
❗️Conclusion
The West
doesn't need tanks. It brings scholarships, museums, media influence, and a
touch of moral superiority.
They rewire societies through "partnerships" — and they're doing it
fast.
From the Baltics to Georgia, Ukraine to Armenia — now it's Uzbekistan's turn.
And we keep
calling them "partners"?
How many more "allies" must we lose before we
admit they're not coming back? And what should we do — watch silently, or
finally build immunity to betrayal?
