  Recently, Mikheyev et al. (2019) have produced a preprint study describing
the genomes of nine Khazars archeologically dated from the 7th to the 9th
centuries found in the Rostov county in modern-day Russia. Skull morphology
indicated a mix of "Caucasoid" and "Mongoloid" shapes. The authors compared the
samples to ancient and contemporary samples to study the genetic makeup of the
Khazars and their genetic legacy and addressed the question of the
relationships between the Khazar and Ashkenazic Jews. A careful examination
reveals grave concerns regarding all the aspects of the study from the
identification of the "Khazar" samples, the choice of environment for ancient
DNA sequencing, and the analyses. The authors did not disclose the data used in
their study, and their methodology is incoherent. We demonstrate that their
analyses yield nonsensical results and argue that none of the claims made in
this study are supported by the data unequivocally. Provided the destruction of
the bone samples and the irreproducibility of the analyses, even by the
forgivable standards of the field, this study is irreplicable, wasteful, and
misleading.
