Our People > Dmitry Pokidaev

Dmitry Pokidaev

Journalist

Dmitry Pokidaev is a journalist based in Astana, Kazakhstan, with experience at some of the country's top media outlets. Before his career in journalism, Pokidaev worked as an academic, teaching Russian language and literature.

Articles

Declaration AI

Kazakhstan Signs Declaration on Human Oversight of AI at Work

Kazakhstan's government, employers, and trade unions signed a declaration on October 7 calling for human oversight of artificial intelligence in the workplace. The declaration was adopted in Astana at the international forum “Digital Labor and Artificial Intelligence.” It states that decisions affecting workers’ rights and interests should involve a human decision-maker rather than be left entirely to AI. Federation of Trade Unions chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin said employers should remain accountable for decisions made using algorithms. Workers should be able to challenge those decisions and request human review, he said. The federation said the signatories agreed to establish a national forum for cooperation on digital labor and AI. Working groups and a monitoring system would support implementation. Some protections already exist under Kazakh law. The country's AI legislation, which took effect in January 2026, establishes requirements for transparency and human autonomy in AI systems. The Digital Code, effective since July, also gives people the right, under certain conditions, to seek explanations of fully automated decisions and request human review when those decisions affect their rights. The European Union's 2024 Platform Work Directive sets specific requirements for algorithmic management on digital labor platforms. It requires human oversight of automated systems, including human decisions on the dismissal or suspension of workers. Member states have until December 2026 to implement the directive. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is already using AI in its public employment services. In the Mangystau and Pavlodar regions, an automated job-matching system sent approximately 59,000 personalized vacancy notifications over two months. Deputy Labor Minister Bakhtiyar Zhazykpayev said about 3,000 people had found employment. Those figures alone do not establish how many found work directly because of the system. The federation’s published account does not explain whether the declaration creates additional enforceable obligations for employers or a new complaints procedure for workers.

3 weeks ago

ITF World Tennis Tour

Almaty to Host Central Asia’s First World Tennis General Assembly

From October 10 to 13, Almaty will host events for the annual General Assembly of World Tennis, formerly the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The meeting of national tennis federation leaders will be held in Central Asia for the first time. More than 262 delegates from 137 countries are expected to attend. Founded in 1913, World Tennis is tennis’s global governing body. It sets the rules of the game and oversees the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and junior competitions. In June 2026, the federation changed its name from ITF to World Tennis. Its leadership also announced plans to increase the number of people playing tennis worldwide from 106 million to 140 million by 2035. The federation's Board of Directors will meet in Almaty on October 10–11, followed by the General Assembly and voting on October 13. The announced topics include support for national federations, the development of children's tennis, training for coaches and officials, and the organization of international competitions. The Kazakhstan Tennis Federation is headed by Bulat Utemuratov, who also serves as vice president of World Tennis. In recent years, Kazakhstan has regularly hosted international tournaments, including the ATP 250 Almaty Open. The next tournament will take place later that month, from October 17 to 25. The meeting will take place shortly after Elena Rybakina's victory at the U.S. Open, her third Grand Slam title. Rybakina has now risen to the top of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings for the first time.

3 weeks ago

Bank Membership

Oman Set to Join Eurasian Development Bank as First Gulf Shareholder

Oman is set to become the eighth shareholder of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the first Gulf state to join the institution. An agreement was signed in Astana on October 6 during Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said’s state visit to Kazakhstan. The EDB’s current shareholders are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Oman would become the first member from outside the former Soviet Union. The agreement, signed by Omani Finance Minister Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi and EDB Chairman Nikolai Podguzov, sets out the terms of the EDB’s operations in Oman. “This agreement reflects our shared intention to build a bridge between Central Asia and the Gulf region,” Podguzov said. Russia remains the bank’s largest shareholder, although its stake was reduced from about 66% to 44.8% in 2023. By the end of June 2026, the EDB’s cumulative portfolio comprised 348 projects with total investment of $22.1 billion. The bank finances projects including transport infrastructure, energy, and digital systems. On October 6, Kazakhstan and Oman signed an agreement on the mutual protection of investments, while Samruk-Kazyna and the Oman Investment Authority agreed to establish a joint investment vehicle to finance projects. As a landlocked country, Kazakhstan is seeking additional routes to the Indian Ocean, and the two sides discussed using Omani ports to transport its goods. Oman has proposed developing a trade corridor through its seaports. The talks in Astana also covered direct air links and other logistics projects. Kazakhstan is seeking to increase exports of grain, meat, and other agricultural products to Oman. In 2025, honey from Kazakhstan was exported to the sultanate for the first time. On October 5, the two countries’ chambers of commerce signed a memorandum aimed at expanding business ties, including in agriculture and logistics. Founded by Kazakhstan and Russia in 2006, the EDB has gradually expanded its membership, most recently with Uzbekistan in 2025.

3 weeks ago

Nuclear safety

Kazakhstan Nuclear Emergency Center Opens With U.S. Support

Kazakhstan has opened a center to monitor radiation and coordinate responses to nuclear and radiological emergencies, with support from the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The center opened on October 2 under Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency. It will receive and analyze radiation data, facilitate information exchange between government agencies, and coordinate their actions during emergencies. The authorities also plan to train specialists and conduct practical emergency-response exercises. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer and operates nuclear research facilities. The consequences of Soviet nuclear weapons testing at Semipalatinsk continue to require monitoring and remediation. Between 1949 and 1989, 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the site, leaving areas contaminated with radioactive material. Emergency preparedness needs will increase as the country develops nuclear power generation. In an October 2024 referendum, 71.12% of those who voted supported the construction of a nuclear power plant, with turnout at 63.66%. The authorities have since begun preparations for second and third plants. The first new nuclear power plant is planned near the village of Ulken on the shore of Lake Balkhash. A consortium headed by Russia’s Rosatom will lead the project. The site for a second plant has been designated in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region, near the first project, while China National Nuclear Corporation has been selected to lead the second project. Kazakhstan can also exchange urgent information on nuclear and radiological emergencies through the international system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre is the round-the-clock global focal point for emergency communication and coordinates information exchange and international assistance. Kazakhstan plans to train specialists for its future nuclear power plants both domestically and abroad

3 weeks ago

Satellite Development

Kazakhstan Plans Six New Earth Observation Satellites

Kazakhstan plans to build six Earth observation satellites, including three high-resolution and three medium-resolution spacecraft. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev announced the expansion at a government meeting on October 6. The country’s existing system operates three satellites. Their imagery can be used to monitor fires and floods and detect illegal mining, construction, and land use. For Kazakhstan, which covers about 2.7 million square kilometers, satellite imagery makes it possible to monitor large areas regularly without continuous ground inspections. Madiyev put the economic impact of space-based monitoring over the past five years at 977 billion tenge, around $2.14 billion. Kazakhstan is also trying to turn its satellite technology into an export business. It is implementing three projects with Mongolia, the Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria, worth about $70 million in total. These partners are expected to participate in a Kazakhstan-led international Earth observation constellation. Earlier government plans envisaged nine satellites by 2030, comprising six spacecraft from Kazakhstan and one from each partner country, with a possible later expansion to 14. Madiyev said the larger constellation is now expected by that date. Operating the satellites as a shared constellation would allow areas to be photographed more frequently and increase coverage. Kazakhstan has a satellite assembly and testing complex in Astana. The state-owned Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary operates the country’s Earth observation system, while Ghalam, a Kazakh-French joint venture, develops spacecraft and components at the complex. In September, Kazakhstan signed a strategic cooperation agreement with South Korea’s CONTEC Co., Ltd. on satellite manufacturing, ground infrastructure, Earth observation data processing, and commercialization. A separate investment agreement involving CONTEC and Ghalam is intended to expand production and technological capabilities in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan also operates the KazSat-2 and KazSat-3 communications satellites. Madiyev said the system has generated 72 billion tenge, around $158 million, in revenue. KazSat-3 is due to reach the end of its planned service life in 2029 and be replaced by the KazSat-3R system. The government has already allocated 10.4 billion tenge, about $22.3 million, from its reserve toward the project.

3 weeks ago

Telecommunications

M360 Eurasia Mobile Industry Forum Set for Astana in 2027

M360 Eurasia, a regional mobile-industry forum organized by the GSM Association (GSMA), will be held in Astana in the fall of 2027. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the GSMA agreed to bring the event to the capital during AI & Digital Bridge 2026. The GSMA represents mobile operators and companies across the wider mobile ecosystem. It also organizes Mobile World Congress events and the regional M360 series. The forum will address artificial intelligence (AI) and connectivity, including access to digital services and the rules governing them. The memorandum was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev and Laszlo Toth, the GSMA’s head of Europe and Central Asia. “For our country, hosting M360 Eurasia will serve as an authoritative platform to strengthen international cooperation, attract investment, and advance infrastructure, telecom, and AI initiatives across Central Asia and beyond,” Madiyev said in the announcement. The GSMA said its cooperation with Kazakhstan would include 5G infrastructure and AI tools in local languages. Kazakhstan is expanding its 5G networks and in September launched Starlink Mobile’s direct-to-cell service with Beeline Kazakhstan, allowing compatible smartphones to connect directly to satellites outside terrestrial mobile coverage. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are also building a fiber-optic link across the Caspian Sea intended to provide an additional data route between Asian and European networks. The previous two editions of M360 Eurasia were held in Uzbekistan in partnership with telecommunications group VEON. More than 50 speakers took part in the 2026 forum in Samarkand, which drew representatives from 250 companies in more than 40 countries and territories. Beeline Kazakhstan will serve as host sponsor for the 2027 event.

3 weeks ago

Oil Refining

Kazakhstan Plans Fourth Major Oil Refinery by 2033

Kazakhstan plans to commission a fourth major oil refinery by 2033 and choose its location by the end of 2026. Daulet Arykbayev, director of the Oil Transportation and Refining Department at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy, announced the plans at the Kazakhstan International Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference (KIOGE 2026) in Almaty. The new refinery is expected to process up to 10 million tons of oil per year. Potential sites are being assessed in Ulytau, Atyrau, Mangystau, and Turkestan regions. “We have decided to accelerate the implementation of the new refinery project. By the end of this year, the assessment of four potential regions will be completed, after which the optimal region for construction will be officially selected. The new plant will become the core of a modern petrochemical cluster,” Arykbayev said. In February 2026, the government set a target of increasing the country’s total oil-refining capacity to around 40 million tons per year by 2033. The previous industry plan envisaged construction of the fourth refinery between 2032 and 2040. At KIOGE, the Energy Ministry provided updated capacity figures. The capacity of the three major refineries is expected to rise to a combined 27.7 million tons per year. Including the recently expanded Caspi Bitum plant, Kazakhstan’s existing refining capacity would reach 29.2 million tons. The fourth refinery would add up to another 10 million tons, bringing the national total to around 39 million tons annually. Kazakhstan’s three largest refineries are in Atyrau in the west, Pavlodar in the northeast, and Shymkent in the south. The Shymkent refinery’s capacity is planned to double from 6 million to 12 million tons per year by 2030. The Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant is expected to expand from 5.5 million to 9 million tons by 2031, while the Atyrau refinery’s capacity is planned to rise from 5.5 million to 6.7 million tons by 2028. To supply the expanded Shymkent refinery, Kazakhstan plans to increase the capacity of the Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline system. The project includes five new pumping stations and a 189-kilometer parallel pipeline section. Capacity on the Kenkiyak-Atyrau pipeline is planned to increase to 15 million tons per year, while the Kenkiyak-Kumkol section is expected to reach 20 million tons. The government is also seeking foreign investors to help finance the fourth refinery.

4 weeks ago

antidoping

WADA Executive Committee to Meet in Astana Ahead of 2027 Anti-Doping Code

The Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will meet in Astana on November 23-27, around five weeks before a revised World Anti-Doping Code comes into force on January 1, 2027. WADA is an independent international organization established in 1999 to coordinate and monitor anti-doping rules and policies across global sport. The meeting also comes ahead of a busy year for international sport in Kazakhstan. Six world championships are scheduled to take place in Astana in 2027: junior short track speed skating, boxing, table tennis, judo, taekwondo, and esports. The packed calendar puts added focus on Kazakhstan’s anti-doping preparations, including testing and coordination with the international federations responsible for each competition. Kazakhstan’s ties with WADA have expanded over the past twelve months. In March, Tourism and Sports Minister Yerbol Myrzabossynov and WADA President Witold Bańka signed a memorandum of understanding in Toruń, Poland, covering cooperation in anti-doping education, prevention, and scientific research. At the time, the two sides also discussed the possibility of holding meetings of WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board in Astana in 2027. Kazakhstan has not been immune to recent high-profile doping cases. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, middleweight boxer Zhanibek Alimkhanuly tested positive for the banned substance meldonium in 2025. The WBO imposed a one-year suspension, while the IBF later stripped him of its middleweight title because the suspension prevented him from meeting his mandatory defense obligation.

4 weeks ago

Transporter-18 Mission

Two Central Asian Satellites Reach Orbit on SpaceX Rocket

A single SpaceX rocket carried two Central Asian spacecraft into orbit: Kyrgyzstan’s first national satellite and a spacecraft developed with the participation of students in Kazakhstan. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on October 1 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The flight carried 130 payloads into low Earth orbit. Kyrgyzstan’s satellite weighs about five kilograms and is designed for Earth observation, with its data intended to help monitor agriculture, water resources, and environmental change. A team of about 10 engineers worked on the spacecraft for roughly two and a half years. Kazakhstan’s NIS PocketQube is a cube measuring just 5 × 5 × 5 centimeters and weighing about 250 grams. The spacecraft was developed at NIS Astana-Nura, part of the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) network. The satellite project began in 2019, and the school established its NIS Space laboratory and introduced a course in space technology electronics the following year. Seventeen students worked on the satellite’s hardware and software and helped prepare it for testing. In December 2022, the spacecraft underwent thermal-vacuum and mechanical testing at Kazakhstan’s National Space Center. Specialists from Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary, Kazakhstan’s national space company, and Ghalam, a Kazakh-French spacecraft joint venture, also participated in the project. Unlike Kyrgyzstan’s Earth-observation satellite, NIS PocketQube is primarily an educational project. NIS says a ground station will be installed to receive and process telemetry, giving students across Kazakhstan access to the data for research and engineering projects. Kazakhstan already operates communications and Earth-observation satellites. By 2030, the country plans to establish an international Earth-observation constellation of nine satellites: six from Kazakhstan and one each from Mongolia, the Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria.

4 weeks ago

Trans-Afghan Rail Corridor

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and UAE Study CASA Rail Route to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to study a proposed railway corridor through Afghanistan to Pakistan’s seaports. The transport ministries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure signed a memorandum on the Central Asia-South Asia (CASA) project on September 30. They agreed to study its technical and economic feasibility and examine possible financing. The memorandum leaves the route and construction timetable open and provides no cost estimate. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are both landlocked, and Uzbekistan is one of only two countries worldwide that must cross at least two national borders to reach the open sea. Kazakh authorities estimate that CASA could eventually carry up to 10 million tons of freight a year toward Karachi and Gwadar. Uzbekistan is working with Afghanistan and Pakistan on a railway from Termez through central Afghanistan to Kharlachi on the Pakistani border. The three countries agreed in July 2025 to prepare a feasibility study. Estimates put the cost at around $7 billion, although some have been higher. Kazakhstan is involved in a separate proposal from Torghundi on the Turkmen border through Herat and Kandahar to Spin Boldak near Pakistan. In April 2025, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan signed a protocol of intent, with the Torghundi-Herat railway and a logistics center in Herat envisaged as an initial stage. A new 43-kilometer section of the Khaf-Herat railway connecting Afghanistan with Iran was inaugurated on September 28. Kazakhstan’s Integra Construction KZ helped build it, and Afghan authorities say work is under way on further links from Herat toward the Turkmen and Pakistani borders. A study by the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) found that Afghanistan’s Taliban-led authorities had signed more than 15 railway-related agreements by March 2026. By then, no new mainline track had entered service under those initiatives, and active projects represented less than 1% of the estimated cost of the announced plans. Dauren Ilesaliev, a professor at Tashkent State Transport University, points to the need for steady freight. “Having railway infrastructure does not guarantee that it will work,” Ilesaliev said. Countries along the route would also need to agree on a through-tariff. Kazakhstan’s trade with Afghanistan could provide some of that freight. Bilateral trade reached $581.1 million in January-July 2026, with Kazakh exports accounting for $572.9 million. Flour accounted for $215.6 million and wheat for $122 million of those exports. Kazakhstan has also explored prospective mineral deposits in Afghanistan’s Nuristan Province and is discussing exports of locally assembled vehicles. In an interview with Novastan, Uzbek analyst Aziza Mukhammedova said a corridor’s value to Afghanistan would depend on the jobs and investment it generates there, alongside transit freight. She also cited unresolved financing as a challenge. The UAE sits outside the proposed route, and the memorandum names neither an Emirati company nor a possible investment amount. If a trans-Afghan line is built, Uzbekistan’s China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway could form part of a rail route from China to Pakistan. For Kazakhstan, CASA would provide an Indian Ocean outlet alongside the...

4 weeks ago

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