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Ongoing DDoS Attack Disrupts Kazakhstan’s Digital Infrastructure

Kazakhstan is experiencing a large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that is disrupting online services across government portals, banking systems, and telecommunications networks. The attack, which began earlier this week, has overwhelmed servers by bombarding them with excessive traffic, rendering critical digital infrastructure inaccessible for thousands of users. The Impact on National Systems The scope of the attack has significantly hobbled online platforms that citizens and organizations rely on for essential services. Users have reported interruptions when attempting to access online banking, state-run portals for taxes, and public resource management services. Government resources have been severely affected, whilst for businesses the inability to process digital transactions has caused massive delays, leading to e-commerce platforms and retailers that depend on online payment systems facing revenue losses. Financial institutions are working to secure their systems, fearing that the attack may escalate into data breaches or ransomware targeting client information. Potential Sources Behind the Attack While no official statement about the source of the attack has been released, cybersecurity experts are pointing to several possibilities. One theory suggests that the attack may involve political motives, aimed at destabilizing Kazakhstan’s government services and undermining public confidence. Others speculate that the incident may stem from cybercriminal groups seeking financial gain through extortion tactics. Other analysts are not discounting the possibility of foreign state actors. Given increasing geopolitical tensions in the region, such cyberattacks could potentially serve as acts of digital retaliation or covert intervention. Investigations are ongoing to trace the origin of the attack, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility. Official Responses and Mitigation Efforts Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry has acknowledged the severity of the attack in an official statement. Authorities are currently coordinating with cybersecurity experts to neutralize the attack and minimize public impact. Technical teams have implemented measures such as traffic filtering and rerouting protocols to handle excessive server requests. While some government websites have been partially restored, slow loading speeds and occasional downtime persist. The ministry is urging organizations and individuals to strengthen online security by regularly updating firewalls and staying vigilant against phishing attempts that often accompany large-scale attacks. Additionally, Kazakhstan's cybersecurity response teams are collaborating with international partners to identify vulnerabilities and enhance digital defenses. This incident highlights the growing need for robust cybersecurity frameworks, particularly in an interconnected world increasingly reliant on digital services. Significance of the Attack This ongoing DDoS attack underscores how vulnerable national infrastructure can be to cyber threats. Potentially targeting critical systems like financial networks or telecommunications, these attacks can undermine public trust in a nation’s institutions and disrupt economic stability. Kazakhstan, like many nations, has increased investment in digital technologies, making cybersecurity a top priority. However, the attack reveals gaps in protection and the urgent need for advanced, preemptive measures to safeguard essential systems. With a rising tide of global cyber threats, addressing these vulnerabilities will play a critical role in protecting both national security and the economy going forward. For now, Kazakhstan continues to battle the...

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KazMunayGas Sees No Risk from Falling Oil Prices, Prepares for Market Fluctuations

Kazakhstan’s national oil company KazMunayGas (KMG) has developed contingency strategies to manage volatility in global hydrocarbon markets and says it is fully prepared for any changes in oil prices. As of the morning of May 5, Brent crude had dropped to $59.30 per barrel and WTI to $56.19, the lowest levels since April 9, following the OPEC+ decision to increase production. In response to questions at a media briefing, KMG Deputy Chairman Aset Magauov said the company foresees no significant risks despite this sharp decline. “Analysts expect oil prices to average around $65 per barrel this year, though no one can predict with certainty,” Magauov stated. “We don’t see any risks for KazMunayGas. We have prepared for various scenarios and identified measures to optimize our expenses. In principle, we are ready for any fluctuations.” KMG, which accounts for 26% of Kazakhstan’s total oil production and 80% of the domestic refining market, supplies roughly 70% of its crude oil to the domestic market. This oil is processed at Kazakhstan’s major refineries to ensure stable fuel and lubricant supplies. According to Magauov, the cost of domestic supply remains well below export prices, insulating KMG from international volatility. “Even while export prices fluctuate, domestic prices remain stable and significantly lower than the lowest export benchmarks,” Magauov said. “Therefore, the majority of our sales, around 70%, are unaffected by global market movements. Moreover, exports of gasoline and diesel are limited, with nearly all production sold domestically.” Magauov also noted ongoing discussions with Russian energy firm Tatneft on the potential joint development of the Atyrau refinery. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s antitrust agency proposed privatizing state-owned stakes in the Pavlodar and Atyrau oil refineries, moves that could reshape the sector’s competitive landscape. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced in April that Kazakhstan aims to double its domestic oil refining capacity by 2040, from 17.9 million tons in 2024 to 38 million tons annually.

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Kazakhstan Braces for Economic Fallout from OPEC+ Output Hike

The latest OPEC+ decision to boost oil production in a strained global market threatens to push Kazakhstan closer to recession and further inflation. On May 3, OPEC+ members agreed to a significant increase in oil output for June. Leading financial outlets, including Bloomberg, suggest that the move is intended to penalize member states that have consistently breached their production quotas, most notably Kazakhstan and Iraq. The announcement triggered a sharp drop in oil prices. Production will rise by 411,000 barrels per day in June, following a tripling of output in May from the originally planned volume. Analysts attribute the shift to Riyadh’s growing frustration with non-compliant members. According to Rystad Energy analyst Jorge Leon, a former OPEC official, Saudi Arabia aims to “financially wear down” these states while aligning with U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for lower energy prices. Kazakhstan’s Overproduction at Tengiz Despite repeated assurances from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy that they would honor OPEC+ agreements, the country exceeded its January quota by 32,000 barrels per day (bpd), producing 1.5 million bpd versus an allotted 1.468 million. This surge followed Tengizchevroil LLP’s launch of a new expansion phase at the Tengiz oil field in the Atyrau region, elevating output there to 870,000 barrels per day, 45% above the 2024 average. The expansion is expected to add 12 million tons annually to Tengiz’s crude production. Tengizchevroil is a joint venture comprising Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil (25%), KazMunayGas (20%), and LUKOIL (5%). Falling Prices and Criticism of OPEC’s Tactics Following the OPEC+ announcement, Brent crude futures fell to $59.30 per barrel on May 5, with U.S. WTI at $56.19. Some analysts argue Kazakhstan is being unfairly targeted. As Reuters reports, Kazakhstan contributes only 5% of OPEC+ production and under 2% of global output. Analysts at the Stankevicius Group note that larger producers such as the UAE, Russia, and Iraq have repeatedly breached quotas without facing similar scrutiny. They argue that Saudi Arabia’s surge in production undermines the cartel’s objectives more than Kazakhstan’s actions. “Saudi Arabia, which has sharply increased its oil production, is causing even greater damage to the OPEC+ agreement by encouraging lower prices," the analysts claimed. "In other words, Kazakhstan is maintaining a balance of interests and the interests of other cartel members. Meanwhile, other members are allowing themselves to disrupt the market balance.” Planning for a Downturn Oil revenues are central to Kazakhstan’s state budget, prompting government officials to prepare for a potential downturn. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin stated in April that contingency plans are being developed for scenarios where oil prices fall to $55 or even $50 per barrel. However, the national budget is pegged to a $75 per barrel benchmark. According to analyst Murat Kastaev, social obligations make spending cuts politically infeasible, leaving the government reliant on increased transfers from the National Fund and a probable weakening of the tenge. While GDP growth could slow to 3-3.5% at current prices, a sustained drop to $40-50 per barrel may trigger a recession...

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Drone Attacks Intensify Security Worries Over Moscow Anniversary Event

Concerns about the security of dignitaries are circulating ahead of Russia’s plans for May 9 celebrations in Moscow of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, an event that leaders from Central Asia are expected to attend as the Russo-Ukrainian war continues. The unease relates to Ukraine’s growing capacity in drone warfare, a dominant feature of the battlefield after years of war between Ukrainian troops and invading Russian forces. On Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense forces in the urban area of Podolsk, on the outskirts of Moscow, “repelled an attack” by four drones flying toward the capital. “According to preliminary data, there is no damage or casualties at the site of the fall of the debris. Emergency services specialists are working at the scene,” Sobyanin said on Telegram. Overnight, Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow again, disrupting operations at four of the city's airports. Sobyanin announced on Telegram that at least 19 Ukrainian drones were intercepted. Although no significant damage or injuries were immediately reported, debris from the intercepted drones landed on a major highway. On April 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine from May 8 – 11 to coincide with the celebrations of victory in the Great Patriotic War, as the Soviet experience in World War II is called. But Ukraine rejected the proposal, saying it seems mainly designed to create a safe environment for its guests in Moscow and that a U.S-backed plan for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire would instead represent a serious step toward peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine isn’t responsible for anyone’s safety on Russian territory on the day of the anniversary celebrations. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has warned of massive retaliation if Ukraine strikes Moscow during the May 9 event, saying on Telegram that “in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day, no one can guarantee that May 10 will come in Kyiv.” An analyst who tracks drone technology, Russian military weapons development and related issues said Russia’s concern about the May 9 parade stems from Ukraine’s growing expertise in drones. “Ukrainian long-range drones can already strike across the entire [of] Russia's European (west of Urals) territory,” Samuel Bendett, a researcher at the Center for Naval Analyses, said on X. The city of Sevastopol in Russia-controlled Crimea won’t hold a Victory Day parade for security reasons, said city Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev, according to Russia’s state-run news agency TASS. Sevastopol hasn’t held a parade in the last couple of years because of similar concerns. In 2014, Russian forces occupied and annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, where Ukraine has conducted periodic attacks with drones and other weapons since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The Kremlin says Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia at Putin’s invitation on May 7-10 and will attend the Victory Day celebrations. Russian state media have reported that the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, will also attend....

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As War Rages at Home, Sudanese Student Leaves Kazakhstan for Uncertain Future

A Sudanese student named Amir began studying at a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2023, just a few months before rival military factions in his country launched a devastating civil war that, according to some estimates, has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 10 million to flee their homes. For Amir, the war was the beginning of an extended period of uncertainty during which he faced financial problems, worried about his displaced family back home, unsuccessfully applied for refugee status in Kazakhstan, feared deportation to Sudan and even faced the possibility of living in limbo in the Almaty airport. This weekend, a Kazakh human rights group said the situation of the Sudanese man had been “conditionally resolved positively for the moment” because authorities let him fly to an unspecified country that has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals. Work on his case is expected to continue. The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR), a non-governmental group that was founded in 1993, had helped Amir during his ordeal. The group did not provide his surname but posted photos of the young man on Facebook. It thanked Almaty airport officials for helping to resolve difficult issues as well offices of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, in at least three countries. The relative improvement in Amir’s situation follows a state of limbo whose roots lie in the war between the Sudanese military and a militia called the Rapid Support Forces, the latest episode of violence in a country that has experienced multiple coup attempts over the decades. The latest fighting set off a humanitarian crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing and war crimes. Amir “tried to obtain refugee status in Kazakhstan, but in practice, the country grants that status only in extremely rare cases,” said the human rights group KIBHR, which helped the Sudanese students with his unsuccessful appeals of the Kazakh court ruling against him. “Under the court’s decision, Amir had to leave Kazakhstan by May 1, so concerned individuals raised money for a ticket to Rwanda — one of the few countries Sudanese citizens can enter without a visa,” KIBHR said. “However, something went wrong: they didn’t even take his documents for review and immediately deported him from the airport back to Qatar, through which he had traveled en route to Rwanda.” In Doha airport, Amir was put on a flight back to Almaty, where authorities prepared to send him back to Qatar, according to the human rights group. But an airline refused to fly him to Qatar, leaving him stranded in Almaty and facing the possibility of deportation to Sudan. “What saved the situation was the concern that Amir might harm himself during the flight or his condition might seriously deteriorate, and they were unable to provide an escort. As a result, he was allowed to fly to one of the countries (not specified) that still has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals, and he was admitted there,” the human rights group....

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Soviet Space Probe to Fall to Earth 50 Years After Baikonur Launch

In 1972, the Soviet Union launched a Venus-bound lander probe called Cosmos 482 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which was then a Soviet republic. The probe, which never got out of Earth's orbit, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in a week or so. “Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible the probe (or parts of it) will survive reentry at Earth and reach the surface,” U.S. space agency NASA said on Friday. “It is thought that a malfunction resulted in an engine burn which did not achieve sufficient velocity for the Venus transfer and left the payload in this elliptical Earth orbit. The lander probe orbit has been decaying over time and it is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere around 10 May 2025,” NASA said. Right now, it’s hard to say where the lander will make its return. It’s possible that the spacecraft, or chunks of it, could survive reentry through the Earth’s atmosphere instead of burning up. After all, it has a titanium protective shell originally designed to get through the extreme atmosphere of Venus, which has the hottest surface of any planet in the solar system. Dr. Marco Langbroek, a scientist based in the Netherlands, said on the SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log that he doesn’t think the lander’s parachute deployment system will work during the “uncontrolled” reentry. “There are many uncertain factors in this though, including that this will be a long shallow reentry trajectory, and the age of the object,” Langbroek said. “The risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero: with a mass of just under 500 kg and 1-meter size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact.” Today, Russia operates the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which retains a popular allure for its role in early space exploration and is still a vital part of the Russian space program. On April 20, one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts made a parachute-supported landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan after a journey back to Earth from the International Space Station. The three men had launched from Baikonur and docked at the station on Sept. 11 last year, spending 220 days in space on that trip.