Mikhail Borisovich Smolin (Russian: Миха́ил Бори́сович Смо́лин; 22 February 1971 – 23 July 2025) was a Russian historian.[1]

Life and career

Smolin was born in Leningrad on 22 February 1971. In 1996 he graduated from the Faculty of History of St. Petersburg State University.[2]

He was the head of the Orthodox Center for Imperial Political Studies, the executive director of the Imperial Revival Foundation, as well as the editor-in-chief of the journals Imperial Revival, Orthodox Volga Region, Vestnik Yugo-Zapadnoi Rusi, and the editor-publisher of the book series Paths of Russian Imperial Consciousness, Orthodox Thought, and Imperial Tradition.[3]

In 2024, Smolin was involved in a scandal, after he stated on a political talk show that "Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Azerbaijanis did not exist before 1917."[4] This statement drew criticism from Uzbek society, and the Deputy Speaker of the Uzbek Parliament, Alisher Kadyrov, called for restrictions on the broadcasting of Russian channels.[5][6]

Smolin died on 23 July 2025, at the age of 54.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Biography". rusinst.ru. Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  2. ^ "Михаил Борисович Смолин" (in ru-RU). РИСИ. Archived 2016-10-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  3. ^ "Смолин Михаил Борисович". hrono.info. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  4. ^ "Узбеков не существовало до революции!" Историк-имперец из России – о казахах, узбеках и других народах Центральной Азии (in Russian). 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2025-07-23. – via currentime.tv.
  5. ^ "Вице-спикер парламента Узбекистана предложил урезать вещание телеканалов на русском языке" (in Russian). fergana.agency. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  6. ^ "Вице-спикер парламента Узбекистана предложил сократить в стране использование русского языка" (in Russian). Радио Озоди. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  7. ^ "Ушел из жизни русский историк Михаил Смолин" (in Russian). РИАМО. 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2025-07-23.