Fourteen servicemen in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces were killed during military exercises on the Caspian Sea on September 24, and five Armed Forces officials were detained. On the same evening, around 100 relatives and Aktau residents gathered outside the city morgue as a serviceman read out the names of the dead. People demanded the chance to identify the bodies, and screams and crying could be heard after some names. September 25 was declared a day of national mourning in Kazakhstan.
The Ministry of Defense later reported that 17 had been swept into the sea; three were rescued, one of whom was hospitalized, and 14 died. A criminal case was opened under provisions covering negligence in the performance of military duties resulting in serious consequences and violations of navigation rules.
The Khazar Qorgany 2026 exercises began on September 22 in Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea. More than 500 military personnel took part, along with ships and boats from the Naval Forces, hydrographic vessels, Coast Guard units of the National Security Committee’s Border Service, and Air Defense Forces aircraft.
Relatives of one serviceman said that officials from the akimat, the local executive authority, the police, and the military enlistment office came to the family’s home to tell them their son had died.
Members of other families said that some of the conscripts were about a week away from completing their military service.
Based on the published birth dates of 12 servicemen on the Ministry of Defense’s initial list, they were between 19 and 23 years old; nine were born in 2006 or 2007.
Among those killed was 20-year-old sailor Serzhan Ayapbergen from the Mangystau region. Before joining the military, he competed in sambo and judo, won silver at the Kazakhstan championship and the Commonwealth of Independent States Games in sambo, won judo competitions, and earned the title of Candidate for Master of Sport.
Deaths among military personnel in peacetime have been debated in Kazakhstan for years. In April 2023, First Deputy Chief Military Prosecutor Maksat Kaziyev said that 270 servicemen had died since the beginning of 2020: 78 in 2020, 96 in 2021, 85 in 2022, and another 11 in the first months of 2023.
According to prosecutors, 36% of the deaths were related to illness, 24% to road accidents, and 20% to suicide. Between 2018 and 2022, 86 suicides and 20 attempted suicides were recorded among military personnel.
These figures cover career military personnel, contract soldiers, and conscripts, and include different causes of death. They do not show how many people died specifically while performing military duties.
The deaths of conscripts, young men performing compulsory military service, are particularly sensitive in Kazakhstan.
Detention of the suspected commander / Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan
In November 2025, journalists questioned Defense Minister Dauren Kosanov about deaths among servicemen, hazing in Kazakhstan’s armed forces, and violence in military units. After a reporter said that news of serious incidents appeared almost every month, Kosanov responded with apparent surprise and laughter: “Really? Soldiers? Really?” He demanded specific evidence of violence, called the allegations unfounded, and said there was no dedovshchina in Kazakhstan’s military. In former Soviet countries, the term refers to an informal hierarchy in which longer-serving soldiers abuse junior servicemen.
“Don’t separate the army from society. We are part of the same society,” Kosanov said.
Military Safety Measures
In early 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that the death of conscripts is “unacceptable” in peacetime.
He criticized the Defense Ministry leadership for insufficient attention to educational and disciplinary work and called for the eradication of hazing, hooliganism, tribalism, and regional favoritism. In a military context, the latter two refer to informal divisions among servicemen based on clan or regional affiliation.
Tokayev added that individual tragedies did not reflect conditions across all military units and that an inspection had found the overall level of discipline to be satisfactory.
Kazakhstan has been changing its military safety system for several years. The interagency “Protect Life” program, launched in 2022, covers suicide, injury, and offense prevention, psychological work with new recruits, and communication with parents.
Programs for 2025–2028 introduced additional training for junior commanders, standardized procedures for recording injuries, and digital monitoring. Military units have expanded video surveillance, while wearable cameras are used during live-fire exercises, training, and combat duty.
Psychological screening has also changed. The PSY-RISK system includes initial screening, an in-depth assessment, and, where necessary, a psychiatric evaluation. During testing, it identified more than 470 young men showing signs of suicidal risk. They were either exempted from service or referred for further examination.
Servicemen can report physical abuse, extortion, and psychological pressure through a digital service and a military police hotline.
In another case involving the death of a soldier in the Ust-Kamenogorsk garrison, investigators found evidence of abuse outside military regulations and psychological pressure against the deceased and six other servicemen. The case against the battalion and platoon commanders was sent to court. The military unit commander and two deputies were removed from their posts, while nine other officials received disciplinary penalties.
Earlier Incidents
Kazakhstan has declared national mourning after earlier mass deaths linked to military service. In 2012, 14 border guards and a gamekeeper were killed at the temporary Arkankergen border post in the mountains near the Chinese border. The post was around 220 kilometers from Usharal. After the group stopped communicating, burned buildings and the victims’ remains were discovered there.
The only surviving border guard was Private Vladislav Chelakh. He was later convicted of murdering 14 fellow servicemen and the gamekeeper and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Naval exercises near Aktau had previously ended in deaths and criminal proceedings. In September 2015, during a marine landing operation, several armored personnel carriers ended up in the water after a strong gust of wind and rough seas. Four conscripts were killed.
Six servicemen were tried in connection with the incident, including the military unit commander, his deputy, and the former commander of the West Regional Command.
The circumstances of the 2015 and 2026 incidents are different, and investigators are still establishing the causes of the latest tragedy.
The public response quickly turned into fundraising for the families. By the morning of September 25, 17 members of Qazaqstan Halyq Kenesi, or the People’s Council of Kazakhstan, said they were prepared to provide 815 million Kazakhstani tenge, around $1.5 million, to the families of those killed. The council is a public association whose members include prominent business figures.
The Mangystau regional authorities established a single channel for collecting donations after receiving approaches from individuals, companies, and organizations. Donations were to be collected through the public association Ulttyq Rukh, while authorities warned people not to transfer money to unknown accounts or personal bank cards.
