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Fraud

Uzbekistan Busts Scam Call Centers Targeting Europe and North America

Uzbek law enforcement authorities have dismantled two illegal call centers in Tashkent that were part of a transnational fraud network targeting victims across Europe and North America, according to the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The operation, carried out jointly by the Interior Ministry’s Cybercrime Department and the State Security Service, targeted offices located in the Yashnabad and Yakkasaray districts of the Uzbek capital. Authorities found 97 people, including five foreign nationals, at the first location, while 34 more, including three foreigners, were apprehended at the second site. According to investigators, the call centers conducted fraudulent phone calls and mass messaging campaigns using spoofed telephone numbers. Operators posed as financial advisers and investment brokers, persuading victims to purchase cryptocurrencies and invest in purported high-yield investment schemes. The group also created multiple phishing websites designed to imitate legitimate investment platforms, promising returns of up to 70% per month. The Interior Ministry said the organizers recruited university students in Tashkent with foreign-language skills to communicate with overseas victims. Employees operated under aliases and underwent specialized training that emphasized strict operational security. Access to the offices was tightly controlled. Criminal proceedings have been opened by the Cybercrime Department’s investigative division. Authorities said investigative and operational measures are continuing with respect to the remaining 111 individuals found at the two facilities. The Interior Ministry added that its International Cooperation Department and Uzbekistan’s National Central Bureau of Interpol are preparing requests for assistance to law enforcement agencies in Europe and North America. Officials described the operation as the result of “hundreds of hours of surveillance, digital forensic analysis, and international cooperation.” The case follows a series of major anti-fraud operations in Uzbekistan. Earlier this year, the State Security Service dismantled three call centers that targeted Russian citizens by promising compensation for allegedly defective dietary supplements and then demanding advance “tax” payments before victims could receive the fictitious reimbursements. In another operation in June, the Uzbek authorities uncovered multiple fraud schemes across six regions involving false promises of employment in South Korea. In one case, the head of a private company allegedly demanded approximately $384,000 from a group of 48 people in exchange for arranging overseas jobs.

4 weeks ago

Energy Investment

Kazakhstan’s Energy Sector Without Local Business: The Anatomy of Major Projects

In late June 2026, construction began on a 1 GW wind power plant in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl Region. The project is valued at $1.4 billion. Companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Masdar and W Solar, hold 80% of the project, while Kazakhstan’s quasi-state sector holds the remaining 20% through Qazaq Green Power and the Kazakhstan Investment Development Fund. This ownership model has become typical across Kazakhstan’s energy industry. Nearly all major new energy infrastructure projects rely on foreign capital. The country’s largest renewable energy developments involve international investors, including France’s TotalEnergies and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power. Even when agreements collapse, the government continues to rely on foreign partners. After financing problems ended cooperation with Russia’s Inter RAO, construction of new thermal power plants in Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk was quickly reassigned to a Kazakh-Singapore consortium. A similar pattern appears across the sector: foreign investors provide most of the capital and technology, while Kazakhstan’s state-linked companies take minority stakes through Samruk-Kazyna or its subsidiaries This has created an unusual situation. Despite an acute shortage of generating capacity and guaranteed long-term demand, Kazakhstan’s largest private businesses have largely stayed away from electricity generation. Instead, domestic capital continues to favor sectors with greater liquidity and shorter investment horizons, ranging from finance to residential real estate. The reasons lie in straightforward economics, where financing costs and regulatory conditions outweigh the sector’s potential returns. The Financial Equation Power generation is one of the most capital-intensive infrastructure industries, with investment payback periods typically ranging from 10 to 15 years. Such projects require access to long-term financing at low interest rates. For Kazakhstan’s private sector, those financing instruments are largely unavailable. Under the National Bank’s tight monetary policy, with the benchmark interest rate standing at 17%, commercial borrowing costs for businesses routinely exceed 20% annually. Financing the construction of a power plant with local-currency loans at those rates is, mathematically, unviable. Such projects are virtually guaranteed to become unprofitable. Rather than engaging in complex, long-term infrastructure financing, Kazakhstan’s banking sector has increasingly concentrated on faster and more profitable lending. Official statistics from the National Bank of Kazakhstan illustrate this imbalance. As of May 2026, banks’ claims on households had reached approximately $60 billion, while lending to non-financial private enterprises, the real economy,stood at about $29 billion, less than half that amount. In practice, commercial banks have largely withdrawn from financing major industrial investment projects, preferring consumer lending with higher liquidity and quicker returns. Foreign corporations, meanwhile, enter Kazakhstan with access to international capital markets. They secure financing from global development institutions or sovereign wealth funds in their home countries at significantly lower borrowing costs. As a result, domestic private investors often lose the competitive race before projects even reach the investment decision stage. Unequal Conditions for Investors A second obstacle for domestic investors lies in Kazakhstan’s regulatory framework. Electricity tariffs have historically been kept under government control to limit inflationary pressures and avoid sharp increases in household utility bills and production costs. To attract major international energy companies,...

4 weeks ago

fuel imports

Fuel Squeeze Leaves Kyrgyzstan Competing for Costly Alternatives

Kyrgyzstan is moving to secure alternative fuel supplies from China and Belarus as disruptions in Russia’s refining sector expose Bishkek’s dependence on a single supplier. The new arrangements may ease immediate pressure, but they also show how costly and limited Kyrgyzstan’s options remain. First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiyev said China has confirmed a contract to supply the first 3,000 tons of jet fuel, while negotiations are under way for an additional 5,000 tons of diesel fuel. The government has also signed agreements with Belarus covering 3,000 tons of jet fuel and approximately 10,000 tons of diesel. On July 1, the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) extended the zero customs duty regime within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) for gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, marine fuel, and other petroleum products for another year. EEC Minister of Trade Andrey Slepnev said the previous zero rates had expired on June 30 and that proposals from several member states to extend them were quickly coordinated. “The zero rates have been extended for another year,” he said. That buys time but does not remove the main risk. Russian refining disruptions, seasonal demand, and export controls could still reduce the flow of petroleum products to Kyrgyzstan. Imports from alternative suppliers are also likely to come at higher prices and on less favorable terms than those traditionally offered by Moscow. Russia has been Kyrgyzstan’s primary fuel supplier for decades. The country began receiving Russian petroleum products at preferential prices on October 10, 2000, when the prime ministers of Russia and Kyrgyzstan, Mikhail Kasyanov and Amangeldy Muraliev, signed an intergovernmental agreement in Astana governing indirect taxation in bilateral trade. Since then, Kyrgyzstan has received basic petroleum products duty-free at domestic Russian prices. In 2011, then-adviser to the Kyrgyz prime minister Farid Niyazov told the news outlet 24.kg that Russia would supply all petroleum products to Kyrgyzstan indefinitely without export duties, except aviation fuel. “At present, Russia’s export duty on these fuel products is $245 per ton. You can imagine how much we would otherwise have to pay for fuel,” he said. The 2000 bilateral agreement was terminated in 2015 after Kyrgyzstan joined the EAEU. Since then, the country has operated under the union’s common customs rules as well as bilateral agreements with Russia. This has left Kyrgyzstan heavily dependent on a single supplier. According to official statements and industry estimates, more than 90% of the country’s fuel consumption for households and agriculture is currently covered by Russian imports. Despite Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak’s assurances that domestic fuel reserves remain sufficient, shortages began to emerge in Russia in early June. Russia has since moved to tighten exports further as refinery disruptions have continued. As a result, Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has begun searching for alternative suppliers while introducing daily monitoring of existing fuel deliveries. Rising gasoline and diesel prices had already prompted the government to introduce temporary state regulation of motor fuel prices in late May. It has since rolled...

4 weeks ago

TCA Interviews

Kazakhstan Seeking to Turn Transit Routes Into Investment Growth, Vice Minister Says

The development of transport and logistics has become one of the main priorities of Kazakhstan's economic policy as the country seeks to turn its position between China, Russia, the Caspian Sea, and Europe into long-term growth. Government transport data show the broader transport and warehousing sector grew in January-May 2026, although rail freight and cargo turnover remained under pressure. Large-scale rail, road, port, warehouse, and digital projects now sit at the center of that effort. The sector requires tens of billions of dollars in investment, while the reshaping of Eurasian supply chains since 2022 has raised the importance of the Middle Corridor and Caspian-linked routes. Can Kazakhstan attract the capital needed to implement large-scale infrastructure projects? How will changing investment priorities affect regional development? And how could new investment reshape the country's transport market? The Times of Central Asia discussed these questions with Maksat Kaliakparov, vice minister of transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan. TCA: How would you assess the current investment attractiveness of Kazakhstan's transport sector? How much foreign investment has the industry attracted recently? Maksat Kaliakparov: The investment attractiveness of the sector is high and continues to strengthen. In 2025 alone, gross foreign direct investment into Kazakhstan's economy reached $20.5 billion, an increase of 14.4% compared with the previous year. Investment is increasingly flowing into transport and logistics alongside manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and the financial sector. The transportation and warehousing sector was among the country's fastest-growing industries in January-May 2026, expanding by 8.4%. Investor interest is also reflected in the fact that, in 2025, Kazakhstan signed 88 commercial agreements worth more than $69.5 billion with partners from China, the UAE, the United States, and European countries. A significant share of these funds will be directed toward transport and logistics projects. More broadly, Kazakhstan's investment policy framework includes a target of increasing annual foreign direct investment inflows to $25.5 billion while raising investment in fixed capital to 25.1% of GDP. TCA: Which segments of the industry are currently attracting the greatest investor interest: railways, highways, aviation, ports, warehousing, or digital logistics? Which areas will require the largest investments in the coming years? Maksat Kaliakparov: Investor interest is spread across several major segments. Railways remain a key priority. Kazakhstan is implementing modernization and new construction projects, including the recently commissioned Dostyk-Moyynty railway section, as well as the Darbaza-Maktaaral and Moyynty-Kyzylzhar lines. By 2030, the country plans to build or modernize approximately 5,000 kilometers of railway infrastructure. Maritime and port logistics are also attracting substantial investment. Expansion is underway at the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, while a new container hub in Aktau is being built with the participation of China's Lianyungang Port Group. The project is expected to increase capacity to 240,000 TEU by the end of 2026. Road infrastructure has secured a landmark private investment through the Car Park Transformer roadside service network. Warehouse and multimodal logistics continue to develop, including through Kazakhstan's terminal at Georgia's Port of Poti. Digitalization is another important area. In particular, the pilot Smart...

4 weeks ago

Maritime Transport

Turkmenistan and Damen Shipyards Discuss Caspian Port Cooperation

Turkmenistan has held talks with Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group about increasing their collaboration at the Turkmenbashi port on the Caspian Sea. The talks come as Turkmenistan seeks a larger role in the Middle Corridor, a trade network linking Asia and Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus. The talks took place this week during a visit by Ambassador Sapar Palvanov to the headquarters of Damen Shipyards Group in the Netherlands, according to the Turkmen embassy in Brussels, Belgium. Palvanov is also Turkmenistan’s ambassador to Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as head of Turkmenistan’s mission to NATO in Brussels. “The discussions focused on prospects for expanding cooperation between Turkmenistan and Damen Shipyards, including the possibility of joint vessel construction at the shipbuilding facility of the Turkmenbashi International Seaport,” the embassy said. “Particular attention was given to further cooperation in the field of dredging.” Engineers from Damen, a major global shipbuilder, have already worked with their counterparts in Turkmenistan. The country’s Agency of Maritime and River Transport said in 2024 that the Balkan Shipyard in Turkmenbashi would begin assembly of the Damen CSD 650 dredger under Damen’s supervision. At the time, the agency described the assembly as the first step toward “localizing” the production of Damen dredgers in Turkmenistan. “Damen dredgers are in high demand in Turkmenistan, where they are used for dredging, construction and repair of port facilities, and for sand and gravel extraction,” it said. Dredging is important for trade across the Caspian Sea because of declining water levels that could make it more difficult to access ports and navigation channels. In an analysis published by Carnegie Politika last year, writer Aida Amangeldina cited a report saying the Caspian Sea’s level began falling in 1995 and dropped by about two meters between 2006 and 2024. “The Caspian Sea’s falling level is driven by multiple factors including the regulation of river inflows, desalination, and hydrocarbon contamination,” Amangeldina wrote. “The primary cause, however, is climate change, which has led to reduced precipitation and increased evaporation across the drainage basin, exacerbating water loss.”

4 weeks ago

Religion

Opinion: Christian Missions in Central Asia: Religious Freedom and Social Tensions

Central Asia has long been a crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions. For more than two millennia, the region has connected East and West, with Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous belief systems coexisting, interacting, and, at times, competing. Christianity flourished here centuries ago through Nestorian and other Eastern Christian communities, while Russian Orthodoxy endured throughout the Soviet period. Under Soviet rule, religion was heavily suppressed, yet Christianity survived among Russians, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, and other communities that had been deported or resettled across the region. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, decades of official atheism gave way to a religious revival, creating space for a new wave of missionary activity. The principles of Christian missionary work are similar across denominations, with preaching, charity, education, medical assistance, and moral renewal at their core. In practice, however, missionary efforts in the newly independent Central Asian states evolved far beyond religious services. Amid the economic hardship that followed the collapse of the Soviet system, many churches combined evangelism with humanitarian assistance, language courses, youth programs, computer training, sports clubs, and cultural activities. These initiatives proved particularly attractive to young people, students, socially vulnerable groups, and urban residents seeking new educational and social opportunities. Among the five Central Asian republics, Kazakhstan emerged as one of the most favorable environments for Christian missions. During the 1990s, its relatively liberal religious climate, large urban centers, multiethnic society, sizeable Korean diaspora, Russian-speaking environment, and comparatively open legal framework enabled numerous foreign churches to establish seminaries, schools, charitable foundations, and places of worship. South Korean Protestant organizations became especially active. Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal churches initially found a natural base within the Koryo-saram community, but their activities gradually expanded well beyond ethnic Koreans. It is at this point that a more sensitive issue emerges. Missionary churches generally regard religious conversion as a legitimate expression of freedom of conscience. Many Muslim families, however, particularly in rural and traditionally conservative communities, view the conversion of their children as a rupture with family heritage, ancestral traditions, and communal identity. Across much of Central Asia, religion is not merely a matter of personal belief. It is closely intertwined with kinship, ethnic identity, marriage, burial customs, and family authority. As a result, active proselytizing among indigenous youth can provoke strong opposition from relatives and local Muslim communities. The issue reflects the interaction between missionary strategies and social pressures such as limited interfaith dialogue, economic hardship, youth vulnerability, foreign funding, government suspicion, and concerns over cultural continuity. When religious conversion becomes associated with financial assistance, educational opportunities, foreign sponsorship, or improved social mobility, critics may portray it as an attempt to “buy souls,” even when churches describe such activities as humanitarian or charitable work. One of the most serious examples occurred in Tajikistan on October 1, 2000, when bombs exploded during a Sunday service at Sonmin Grace Church, a Korean Protestant church in Dushanbe associated with South Korean missionaries. The congregation had attracted local converts. Several people were killed and dozens...

4 weeks ago

How OYU Fest Became a Portrait of Kazakhstan’s New Music Scene

OYU Fest returned to Almaty’s Pervomaysky Ponds for its fifth-anniversary edition, marking another step in its rise as one of Kazakhstan’s leading contemporary music festivals. Since its launch in 2022, OYU has grown from a local initiative into an important platform for Kazakhstan’s music scene, drawing a wider audience across Central Asia. Kazakhstan has welcomed more international performers in recent years, including Jennifer Lopez, the Backstreet Boys, and Enrique Iglesias. OYU has taken a different approach. It has remained a festival without foreign headliners, keeping contemporary Kazakh music at the center of its program. Instead of competing with large international shows, the festival connects local artists with audiences of different generations and reflects the range and confidence of Kazakhstan’s music scene today. The first OYU Fest took place in the summer of 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Although the festival has never made political statements, it emerged during a period of growing public interest in Kazakhstan’s cultural identity, national language, and domestic music scene. Artists who 15 to 20 years ago were often seen as niche or local performers now draw audiences of tens of thousands across Kazakhstan, including listeners outside ethnic Kazakh communities. OYU 2026 Brings Glastonbury Weather to Kazakhstan’s Coachella This year, OYU expanded to a two-day format for the first time and welcomed several thousand visitors. The lineup brought together emerging artists, Kazakh-language pop performers, indie musicians, rappers, R&B acts, K-pop groups, and long-established singers known to several generations in Kazakhstan. The range of performers showed how far Kazakhstan’s contemporary music scene has developed, from newcomers to established names. The festival opened with torrential rain, recalling OYU’s first edition. At that first festival, strong winds tore down tents. Performers sang on a soaked stage, and audiences danced through the downpour to songs by Zoloto and hits from Kairat Nurtas, one of Kazakhstan’s best-known pop stars. The weather became part of the festival’s identity. This year, forecasts predicted only light showers. Shortly before the festival began, however, Almaty was hit by what felt like a tropical downpour. Visitors arrived at the festival grounds completely soaked, although organizers distributed free rain ponchos at the entrance. People sheltered beneath temporary canopies and joked that OYU, once dubbed Kazakhstan’s Coachella, had unexpectedly become Kazakhstan’s Glastonbury, where rain and muddy ground are part of the experience. The mostly young audience was undeterred. By evening, the rain had eased, and by the time ARO, the fourth performer on the lineup, took the stage, it had stopped. The festival hosts jokingly called him a “rain whisperer,” noting that showers had ended just as he began performing more than once before. On the first day, audiences saw performances by On Alty, Almás, Zakryty Klub, Sadraddin, Kunzharyq, ALPHA, Yenlik, Berkut & Aisha, and others. The second day featured dosm., Ken Dala, abdr., Dequine, Ringo, Orynkhan Rakhimbekov, Roza Rymbaeva, and the independent music association Qazaq Indie. The lineup showed the range of Kazakhstan’s contemporary music scene. Festivalgoers heard Kazakh-language...

4 weeks ago

Turkmen Embroidery

Turkmen Embroidery Showcased at International Fashion Event in France

Turkmenistan’s traditional textile art and national costumes were presented at Art-Storytelling Paris-Deauville, an international fashion event held in the French seaside town of Deauville. The event brought together designers, fashion industry professionals, cultural organizations, and members of the diplomatic community from Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia. Turkmenistan was represented by designer Jennet Agayeva, head of the embroidery department of the Women’s Union of Turkmenistan, alongside representatives of the Women’s Union and officials from the Embassy of Turkmenistan in France. The event also included designers from France, Vietnam, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, who presented collections combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary fashion. Turkmen embroidery, officially listed by UNESCO as Turkmen-style needlework art, is one of the country’s best-known forms of traditional decorative art. In 2022, UNESCO inscribed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The embroidery is known for intricate geometric and floral patterns. Its traditional palette of red, yellow, black, and white has cultural significance in Turkmen heritage.

4 weeks ago

Obituary

Comedian Bakhtiyor Rahimov, Who Lamented Decline of Satire in Tajikistan, Dies

Tajik satirist Bakhtiyor Rahimov, whose comic performances lampooned daily life and sometimes touched on power, corruption and bureaucracy, has died after longstanding health problems. He was 56 years old, according to media reports. Rahimov, founder of a comedy group called Gharibsho Company and a fixture on Tajikistan’s comedy scene over several decades, had performed at a resort in the western city of Hisor on the night before his death on June 30. He was buried in his home village of Nojii Bolo, near Hisor. “The news saddened thousands of his fans. Indeed, the death of such an artist is a great loss to Tajik culture,” news site Oila.tj reported. Several Tajik media outlets reported on a debate about why Rahimov was never awarded a state title recognizing his comedic contributions. In a news conference on Monday, Culture Minister Matlubakhon Sattoriyon expressed condolences to Rahimov’s family on his death and said that the satirist had received recognition, if not a title, from the state. “Others have criticized the attitude of the cultural authorities and suggest that, in recognition of his contribution to the development of Tajik satire, he be awarded an honorary state title after his death,” reported Azda TV, a Tajik-language site that is registered in Poland and aims to provide alternative perspectives to state-controlled media in Tajikistan. The name of Rahimov’s comedy group, Gharibsho, derives from Persian and refers to a wanderer or stranger, a description that echoed the experience of many young people in Tajikistan who were emigrating to other countries, particularly Russia, in search of work. The name also incorporates a term for king or noble. "We were kings on stage, but at the same time, like these wanderers, we had nothing behind us," Muhammadjon Kholov, an early member of Gharibsho, said in an interview with the Your.tj outlet several years ago. He recalled that fans who couldn’t get tickets to the group’s first show on a big stage were so eager to see the performance that they smashed windows and doors and stormed the concert hall where the comedians were appearing. The group, which started in 2000, had to donate all its proceeds from ticket sales to cover the damages. In a 2024 interview with the Asia-Plus publication, Rahimov said satire had been marginalized in official circles in Tajikistan and that he hadn’t been invited to state events or programs in nearly six years. Asked if there was still political or social satire in Tajikistan, he said: “Yes, but very rarely.”

4 weeks ago

Climate Change

Central Asia Disaster Risks Prompt Joint Mudflow and Flood Plan

Central Asian countries are working on a joint plan to reduce the damage caused by floods and mudflows, as officials and environmental specialists warn that natural disasters are costing the region around $10 billion a year. The proposed roadmap was discussed at a regional meeting in Bishkek on June 24-26, attended by representatives of all five Central Asian states, the World Bank, and several UN bodies. The plan focuses on transboundary mudflows and floods, where risks often cannot be managed by one country alone. According to Kazakhstan’s state broadcaster 24KZ, experts at the meeting said disaster-related losses in Central Asia could be reduced fivefold through stronger ecosystem protection and better regional coordination. The proposed measures include a shared online catalogue of current and forecast natural hazards, as well as an early-warning system for wildfires. The discussion comes after a sharp rise in mudflows in Kyrgyzstan. The country has recorded more than 240 mudflows since the start of 2026, already well above the 133 cases registered during the whole of 2024. Between June 19 and 21 alone, Kyrgyz authorities reported 66 mudflow and flooding incidents, with homes, farmland, roads, and other infrastructure damaged. The deadliest recent incident occurred on June 24, when a mudflow swept away a car on the Osh-Alay highway, killing six people. Emergency officials have said improved response work has helped reduce casualties compared with last year, but the scale of the damage remains severe. The draft regional roadmap is expected to set out priority protection measures and identify where investment is most urgently needed. It also proposes closer coordination between emergency agencies, which is particularly important in cross-border mountainous areas. Central Asia is highly exposed to natural hazards, including earthquakes and climate-related disasters. A World Bank blog has previously estimated that natural disasters cause about $10 billion in economic losses across the region each year. The Bishkek discussions also covered digital tools for monitoring and forecasting climate-related risks. Participants reviewed a shared regional database and an interactive platform intended to improve the exchange of information between national agencies. Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous geography makes it especially vulnerable, with officials noting that heavier and less predictable rainfall are compounding the problems. The World Bank-backed RESILAND CA+ program is already supporting work at 21 high-risk sites in four Kyrgyz regions, including the restoration of mudflow-protection infrastructure. The regional plan will not eliminate mudflows or floods, but its supporters argue that better forecasting, stronger protective infrastructure, and more coordinated land management could reduce the human and economic cost of disasters that are becoming harder to treat as purely national problems.

4 weeks ago

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