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Mountaineering

Russian Climber Stranded on Kyrgyzstan’s Pobeda Peak is Feared Dead

In 2021, Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina stayed with her sick husband overnight on one of Kyrgyzstan’s highest mountains and later recounted the ordeal in which he died in a documentary titled “Stay with Khan Tengri: Tragedy on the Mountain.” Now rescue workers and experienced climbers believe it is likely that Nagovitsina is dead after she became immobilized with a broken leg on the upper reaches of another mountain in Kyrgyzstan and efforts to bring her down in bad weather failed. Her story, and the deaths of others who scaled Pobeda Peak this year, have made for a grim high-altitude climbing season within the Central Asian country, which is celebrating its best-known climber, Eduard Kubatov, for recently reaching the summit of K2 in Pakistan without supplementary oxygen. Various accounts have described Nagovitsina’s ordeal since she broke a leg on August 12 on Pobeda, Kyrygzstan’s highest mountain at 7,439 meters above sea level. It lies on the border between Kyrgyzstan and China and is also known by the Kyrgyz name Jengish Chokusu (Victory Peak). Italian climber and friend Luca Sinigaglia helped to bring food, a tent and a sleeping bag to Nagovitsina several days later, but he then fell ill and died. Subsequently, on August 16, a Kyrgyz helicopter involved in rescue operations made a hard landing, injuring some on board. On August 19, a drone filmed movement at Nagovitsina’ sleeping bag on the ridge where she was stranded, but few climbing veterans believe she could have since survived extended exposure to the brutally cold conditions on the mountain. “There is practically no chance” that Nagovitsina is alive after nearly two weeks on the mountain, wrote Anna Piunova, editor of Mountain.RU, a Russian website that covers climbing news. Some climbers, including Bishkek-based Kadyr Saydilkan, bristled at any online commentators who suggested that Nagovitsina, who was in her late 40s, was to blame for the disaster, or didn’t deserve to be rescued, or shouldn’t have been on the mountain in the first place because she was a woman. Nagovitsina, Saydilkan said on Facebook, “fought with death for ten days and survived as long as she could. She dreamed, set goals, lived freely, with love, and pursued her dream!!! And you?”

Technology

ArtSkin: Prosthetics with a Sense of Touch from Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz startup ecosystem is still in its nascent stages and can’t boast an endless number of founders pursuing their dreams. But those focused on building hardware startups, which is generally significantly more challenging, are even a rarer breed. Despite all of that, there is an ambitious attempt to build artificial skin for prosthetics. Meet ArtSkin. Not like a human hand “Since childhood, I was mad about science and tech, and the first big thing that I made was a prototype of the first airplane by the Wright brothers. I dropped it from the second floor, and it was crushed after flying four meters. Later, when I was twelve, I saw a TV program about robot battles, and it was crazy! Since then, I have wanted to be able to make any kind of robots, and my dream has come true,” says Iliias Dzheentaev’s biography on LinkedIn. Dzheentaev is the CEO and Founder of ArtSkin. ArtSkin is a hardware startup from Kyrgyzstan that develops artificial skin for prosthetic limbs. It was launched by Dzheentaev in 2024. Before that, he spent three years studying how human skin, the nervous system, and receptors work to understand how to design a device allowing proper touch sensations. The process was time-consuming and challenging due to the lack of relevant information. “My initial prototype was a robotic arm manipulator. I encountered a challenge with grasping flexible objects – figuring out how to make the robot recognize when its claw had squeezed tightly enough to hold the object securely. To solve this, I developed a mechanism that overcomes the resistance of different materials, enabling the robot to firmly grasp objects of various shapes, textures, and densities. Although the mechanism was simple, it made me realize how important this problem is for robotics. This insight then led me to thinking about people who use prosthetics and whether they actually feel anything when wearing them”, Dzheentaev tells The Times of Central Asia. He was not happy with the contemporary prosthetic solutions – basic body-powered mechanical prosthetics rely on physical motions, and more advanced bionic prosthetics translate electrical signals generated by muscle activity into movements, both of which lack feedback. And without the latter, control is incomplete, while with a human hand, one can easily understand its position as well as feel touch and pressure. With this in mind, Dzheentaev built his prototype with a single sensor to test the device on himself. First steps Things got serious when Dzheentaev visited the High Technology Park of the Kyrgyz Republic (HTP), where he was inspired by other founders pitching and raising funds for their startups. At the time, unfamiliar with this environment, Dzheentaev was using his salary to buy electronic components, order materials, and do designs. Not long after, Dzheentaev took part in HTP’s two programs: Dive into Silicon Valley and Unicorn from KG. The finalists for the first one were selected in February 2024. Dive into Silicon Valley in an entry-level incubation program, which sends founders to spend two...

Lake Issyk-Kul

Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul and China’s Qinghai Become Sister Lakes

Kyrgyzstan and China’s Qinghai Province have signed a memorandum of intent to establish “twin” or sister-lake relations between Lake Issyk-Kul and Qinghai Lake, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Technical Supervision announced. The two lakes share many natural similarities. Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake, measures 182 km in length and up to 60 km in width. Saline and surrounded by mountain ranges, it is the country’s leading tourist destination. Qinghai Lake, located in northwest China’s Qinghai province, is the country’s largest lake, renowned for its scenic beauty and diverse birdlife. It stretches 105 km in length and 63 km in width, covering over 4,500 square kilometers. Situated at 3,200 meters above sea level, it has an average depth of 21 meters, with cold, salty waters. Under the memorandum, Kyrgyz and Chinese representatives will organize mutual visits, seminars, scientific events, and other activities to foster cooperation and share expertise on lake management. The plan also includes developing an eco-tourism route called “Sister Lakes.” The initiative forms part of broader Kyrgyz-Chinese environmental and social cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. It also envisions joint use of natural resources, development of infrastructure projects, and coordinated monitoring of water quality and environmental conditions.

Food

Despite Official Optimism, Southern Kyrgyzstan Struggles with Food Shortages

Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobaev, has reported steady growth in both agricultural output and the processing industry. Speaking at a briefing in Bishkek, Torobaev stated that agricultural production in the first half of 2025 reached $1.3 billion, $160 million more than in the same period last year, representing an annual growth rate of nearly 4%. The processing sector also showed gains, with output valued at $556 million in the first six months of the year. Torobaev added that the population was “provided with six basic foodstuffs: milk, meat, potatoes, vegetables, sugar, and eggs.” However, figures from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) paint a less optimistic picture. The agency’s research indicates that 8% of Kyrgyzstan’s population faces food shortages, while 53% have access only to the minimum required food supply. According to a WFP report, most households (74%) rely on negative coping strategies, such as depleting savings, borrowing money, and cutting expenditures on education and healthcare to meet their food and other basic needs. Additionally, 10% of the population reported a decline in income over the past year, with an average reduction of 37%. The WFP stated that the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions, both in the more densely populated south, account for nearly half of all citizens experiencing food shortages. High poverty levels in these areas, as well as in Batken, reflect the country’s highest rates of economic and food insecurity. The WFP supports vulnerable households through research, targeted material aid, and community programs aimed at building a sustainable food system. Assistance includes fortified wheat flour, vegetable oil, and cash transfers to low-income families participating in community development or human capital projects. The agency also supplies wheat flour to schools to improve nutrition for students in grades 1-4.

Airports

Kyrgyzstan’s Kazarman Airport Reopens After 20-Year Hiatus

Kazarman Airport in Kyrgyzstan’s southern Jalal-Abad region has reopened after more than 20 years, following a major reconstruction project by JSC Airports of Kyrgyzstan. Located near the village of Kazarman, the airport is now ready to receive flights once again. The renovation included repairs to the 1,840 meter runway, taxiways, aircraft parking areas, and the passenger terminal. The facility can accommodate aircraft weighing up to 22 tons and currently operates during daylight hours. Built in 1985, Kazarman Airport previously served flights to Bishkek, Osh, and Jalal-Abad. On August 12, state-owned Asman Airlines made its first flight to the renovated airport, and regular flights to Bishkek are scheduled to begin in early September. “The return of Kazarman Airport to operation is an important step for the development of the country’s transport network. Now residents and visitors of the Jalal-Abad region will be able to get to Bishkek faster and more conveniently,” said Manasbek Samidinov, Chairman of the Board of JSC Airports of Kyrgyzstan. The reopening comes as Kyrgyzstan continues to expand its aviation infrastructure. In May 2025, construction began on a new international airport in Jalal-Abad, the country’s third-largest city, designed to handle passenger and cargo aircraft including Boeing 737s and Airbus A320/A321s. At the groundbreaking, President Sadyr Japarov highlighted rising demand for both domestic and international flights. Since 2021, passenger traffic has grown by 46% and the number of flights by 31%, he said. Asman Airlines has restored all domestic routes linking Bishkek with Talas, Karakol, and Kerben, and in 2024 added two Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 short-haul aircraft to its fleet. The Kazarman and Jalal-Abad projects are part of a broader strategy to modernize Kyrgyzstan’s airports. Work began in February 2025 on a new complex at Osh International Airport, and Karakol International Airport and Talas Airport have already opened. Renovations are also underway at Issyk-Kul International Airport and Naryn Airport.

Water Supply

Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan to Supply 600 Million Cubic Meters of Water to Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will send about 600 million cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan over the next two weeks to help offset shortages in the country’s southern regions, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev announced at a government briefing. Bozumbayev said Central Asia is experiencing a low-water year, with inflows into the Syr Darya River, which supplies Kazakhstan’s Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions, at only 30-40% of normal levels. Prolonged high temperatures have further increased irrigation demand, deepening the shortfall. He noted that Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov raised the issue with his Kyrgyz and Uzbek counterparts during the International Environmental Conference in Altai, after which consultations were held. “Last week, they were behind schedule by more than one billion cubic meters of water. We agreed that starting this week, they will send about 600 million cubic meters to us within two weeks,” Bozumbayev said. Despite the challenges, Bozumbayev expressed confidence that the agricultural season, which ends in August, could be completed without major losses. “I have personally visited the Turkestan region, many districts, reservoirs, and met with farmers. I also toured irrigated areas in Kyzylorda region. The situation is tense, but we have seen worse years,” he said, adding that daily monitoring and urgent measures have helped stabilize conditions. This agreement follows a broader water-sharing deal reached in February, under which Uzbekistan will supply Kazakhstan with 16 billion cubic meters of water by October 1, 2025. The arrangement, agreed during the 12th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Bilateral Water Cooperation, increases Kazakhstan’s allocation by 1 billion cubic meters compared with the previous period. Water management remains a critical issue in Central Asia, where agriculture depends heavily on transboundary rivers such as the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, and seasonal shortages can severely threaten crop yields and rural livelihoods.