Page 500 – The Times Of Central Asia

07 Mar 2025

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Mercenary Spies Unmasked: Guilty Verdict Exposes Global Disinformation and Sabotage Network

March 13, 2025
By Stephen M. Bland

A spy cell in the UK, including five Bulgarian nationals, targeted multiple individuals and locations over nearly three years, according to court documents at The Old Bailey, officially known as the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.

The court case, which has played out over fourteen weeks, tells the story of a rogue group of six individuals aiming to leverage statecraft, intelligence, and a willingness to be ruthless for monetary gain.

The trial has revealed that the defendants worked under the direction of Jan Marsalek, an Austrian national described by prosecutors as a Russian agent involved in espionage activities. Two men have already pleaded guilty to their role in the spy ring, Orlin Roussev, 46, and Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, whilst the whereabouts of Marsalek remain unknown.

According to the prosecution, the defendants stood accused of “monetizing a gap in the market,” engaging in what was described as “high-level espionage with very high stakes.” A money flowchart presented as evidence revealed that approximately €380,000 had been transferred between three of the suspects, further supporting the allegations.

The case has offered a window into the dark world of commercialized clandestine services where criminal organizations offer espionage, psyops, misinformation, assassinations, and other illegal activities for a fee.

As for the outcome of the trial against the remaining three defendants, Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev 39, following 32 hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all three of being involved in a conspiracy, contrary to section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, to commit an offence under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. Only Ivanchev was present in court, whilst Ivanova and Gaberova joined by video-link from HMP Bronzefield. Their crimes carry a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment.

Court testimony, evidence documents as well as volumes of Telegram and WeChat messages, reviewed by The Times of Central Asia reveal a chilling account of the sinister services these dark mercenaries plotted, offered, and in some cases, partially executed.

The Times of Central Asia is finalizing its review of court documents and conducting follow-ups with sources to provide a comprehensive analysis and perspective on this case. Please check back for further insights.

07 Mar 2025

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Wizz Air to Offer Uzbek-Language Service After Passenger Complaint

March 7, 2025
By Sadokat Jalolova

Uzbekistan’s Competition Committee has investigated a passenger complaint against Wizz Air and taken action to improve service for Uzbek travelers. As a result, the airline will now provide Uzbek-language assistance on flights to Uzbekistan.

The Complaint

The issue came to public attention when Rasul Kusherbayev, a former deputy and adviser to the Minister of Ecology, encountered a language barrier on a Wizz Air flight from Samarkand to Abu Dhabi.

Kusherbayev, who was seated near the emergency exit, was given safety instructions in English. Since he did not understand English, he requested an explanation in Uzbek or Russian. However, instead of accommodating his request, a crew member asked him to leave the plane. Kusherbayev refused, and upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, the airline contacted local police. Authorities advised both sides to resolve the matter amicably. Wizz Air staff later informed Kusherbayev that he was banned from using the airline’s services in the future.

The incident led Kusherbayev to publicly criticize Wizz Air for failing to provide information in Uzbekistan’s state language.

Government Response and Airline Commitment

Following the complaint, Uzbekistan’s Competition Committee launched an investigation. The committee emphasized that all passengers must clearly understand safety instructions and that providing them exclusively in a foreign language could create risks and misunderstandings.

As a result of the probe, the committee took action against the airline employees involved. Wizz Air also introduced new training programs for its crew on flight safety, etiquette, and passenger rights. The airline has committed to ensuring that by 2025, flight attendants and service personnel on Uzbekistan-bound flights will be able to communicate in Uzbek.

07 Mar 2025

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Interview With Sara Raza – Director of the Tashkent Centre for Contemporary Art

March 7, 2025
By Naima Morelli

Sara Raza is a litmus test for the spirit of the times in the shape of an art curator. In simple terms, art crowds can count on her direction for the Tashkent Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) to bring the most pressing issues in contemporary art to the foreground.

Indeed, the author of the book Punk Orientalism – and the namesake curatorial studio – has been just appointed as Artistic Director and Chief Curatorial Director of the CCA Tashkent, set to open in September 2025.

It’s a strategic move for the Centre, which has aspirations of becoming a global arts and culture hub and is aiming at international artistic and creative exchanges, which include residencies, exhibitions, workshops, and educational programmes, and contributing to Uzbekistan’s cultural ecosystem.

Transversal in her curatorial approach, London-born, New-York-based Raza is coming from a mixed Central Asian/Middle Eastern background, but she is also steeped in the heart of the Western art system, in institutions such as the Guggenheim – having taken care of a project called UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, curating the Middle East and North Africa section.

Over the years, the curator has worked with artists from Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, and has curated shows at the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha and the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, but it is truly her book, Punk Orientalism: The Art of Rebellion, which brought a fresh approach to the sometimes highly academic field of art criticism.

For Raza, artists from the former-Soviet countries and beyond hold a strong punk DIY ethos, by which they counter the Orientalist gaze they have always been subjected to by both the West and Russia. Their art is often a form of bricolage, an unexpected connection of disparate ideas used to create something entirely new.

Will she bring this original approach to the direction of the museum, too? TCA spoke with Raza to find out about how she’s planning to foster cultural and educational partnerships and to support local, regional, and international artists while engaging with Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage.

Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent Artist Residencies; image: Namuna

TCA: The Centre for Contemporary Art in Tashkent is poised to become a major hub for artistic discourse in Central Asia. As its first Artistic Director and Chief Curator, how do you envision defining the institution’s identity from the ground up?

My vision for CCA is less of a ground up approach, but rather one that builds on an historical and visual cultural foundation established in the 20th century that included a robust relationship with artists, intellectuals and others from the Global Majority World [a collective term for people of African, Asian, indigenous, Latin American, or mixed-heritage backgrounds, who constitute approximately 85% of the global population].

This included relationships between Harlem Renaissance figures [The Harlem Renaissance was an African American cultural movement that flourished in the 1920s and had Harlem in New York City as its symbolic capital], and a film festival and program that included Asia, Africa, and Latin American filmmakers, which lasted from the 1960s-80s in Tashkent. All of this bodes very well for my curatorial work and can be reimagined in interesting and dynamic ways.

TCA: Your curatorial work has consistently challenged dominant art history narratives. How do you see the CCA in Tashkent playing a role in reshaping global conversations about contemporary art?

Reimaging some of the historical and global connections that I mention above in new and fresh ways through the lens of contemporary artists is something I’m very much looking forward to developing. Equally, extending beyond exhibitions to programming, learning, and outreach through our forthcoming research library, public programming, and indoor/outdoor cinema to allow for regional collaboration is also on the agenda.

Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent Artist Residencies; image: Namuna

TCA: You’ve described the CCA as an “intersectional space for cultural exchange.” How do you balance the need for deep engagement with local artistic traditions while ensuring the Centre resonates internationally?

In this context, intersectional also means via ideation, not necessarily just material cultures and traditions. Given that there is already a global history, it’s instead a matter of reconnecting and reconfiguring new pathways and other ways of understanding local/global scales, which are also variable since this gap is shrinking and technology is advancing.

TCA: Would you say that Central Asia is experiencing a cultural renaissance? And if so, what excites you most about the current Uzbek and Central Asian art scene?

There is a lot of excitement across the region, owing to its young population. Inside Uzbekistan, spearheading many projects is the chairperson of Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), Gayane Umerova who has mapped a cultural path that includes not only extending the invitation to me to lead the CCA but also the launch of the Aral Culture Summit in Nukus [April 2025] and the forthcoming Bukhara Biennial in September, as well as Uzbekistan PavilionTCA: at the Expo 2025 Osaka and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, amongst other arts and cultural activities.

Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent Artist Residencies; image: Namuna

TCA: Will you maintain the approach outlined with the book and the curatorial studio Punk Orientalist in your programming for the Centre?

In my curatorial monograph for Punk Orientalism: The Art of Rebellion – which is culled from my curatorial practice – I explore Eastern forms of Orientalism related to art and ideas from the former USSR from a post-Soviet and post-colonial standpoint, spanning Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Arab world, Turkey, and Iran. My practice is very much artist-led, and the book highlights the cross-pollination of art and ideas. It reflects upon thematic curatorial patterns, which will continue to inform the work I do, which relies on shared cultural and intellectual labor with artists, architects, technologists, and thinkers.

TCA: Your curatorial work often engages with themes of post-colonialism, migration, and memory. In a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, do you see your role at the CCA as inherently political? If so, how?

I wouldn’t say that my role is political with a capital “P,” as it’s more driven in art historical narratives and works to illuminate artistic practices, sometimes involving more complex forms of interaction and oscillation between institutions, artists, and objects.

TCA: How will you ensure that the CCA remains a dynamic, living space that truly connects with the people of Tashkent?

CCA is in a central location adjacent to the Westminster International University in Tashkent, with whom we’re developing an MA program in Creative Industries. Students pursuing curatorial studies will have the opportunity to integrate and learn from the artists, exhibitions, and programs at CCA. This is also a pipeline into employment for the next generation of practitioners. With this important demographic in mind, CCA will offer a broad spectrum of programs and experiences catering to all communities across the city.

Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent Artist Residencies; image: Namuna

TCA: Do you plan to create an environment where artists feel empowered to push boundaries, even within an institutional framework?

CCA launched its residency program earlier this year, which is an essential feature of CCA’s programming in that it allows space for artists to research and make new work as well as connect with craftspeople and other artists. Some of the work that artists produce during their residencies will be featured in the forthcoming exhibitions as well, which I hope will contribute to the program’s overall dynamic environment.

TCA: You have often spoken about your deep connection to Central Asia and their communication with the broader region. How does this personal history inform your curatorial vision for CCA, and do you see this role as a kind of homecoming?

I’ve had the fortune of working in Central Asia and internationally for two decades; my entire thinking is based on a global framework. I’m also of mixed ethnicity of Iranian and Central Asian origin, which includes ancient Uzbekistan, and was born in London, and am currently based in New York where I teach at both NYU and Yale. My approach to connection is through remixing, reordering, and rearranging art and ideas from different 20th and 21st-century periods horizontally across Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and North Africa. CCA offers a space to consolidate two decades of professional practice and personal and autobiographical.

TCA: With the grand opening set for September 2025, what should audiences — both in Uzbekistan and globally — expect from the CCA’s inaugural programming? Can you hint at any upcoming exhibitions, commissions, or collaborations that will set the tone for the Centre’s future?

I can say that the artist-led direction will be very significant in all aspects of CCA’s curatorial approach. From illuminating the Studio KO-designed renovation to re-evaluating histories and programming, the artist’s hand is an important feature.

07 Mar 2025

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How Women in Central Asia Celebrate International Women’s Day

March 7, 2025
By Tamila Olzhbaekova

March 8, International Women’s Day, holds a special place in Central Asia. Over the years, the holiday has evolved from its Soviet-era roots into a modern celebration that blends tradition with contemporary interpretations.

The Soviet Past: March 8 as a Day for Working Women

During the Soviet Union, March 8 was more than a celebration of spring and femininity, it symbolized the struggle for women’s rights and equality. The day honored working women, with official ceremonies highlighting their achievements. State-run enterprises and organizations staged formal events and presented flowers and gifts to female employees, and media outlets published articles about the country’s outstanding women.

The Transition Period: The 1990s

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asian countries began redefining their identities, which was reflected in how they marked March 8. The holiday took on a more personal and familial character, with less ideological emphasis. While state celebrations continued, they became more subdued. Men still gifted flowers and presents to women, but the political significance of the day gradually faded into the background.

Modern Celebrations: Balancing Tradition and New Trends

Today, March 8 in Central Asia is primarily a day to recognize women’s contributions and express gratitude. The holiday remains widely celebrated across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, though each country has developed its distinct traditions.

Kazakhstan: Major cities host flash mobs, charity events, and cultural programs. In recent years, feminist activism has gained momentum, with some using the holiday to highlight gender inequality.

“For me, March 8 is not just about receiving flowers, it’s a reminder that equality is not a privilege but a necessity,” Ainur, 24, from Almaty told TCA.

Uzbekistan: The holiday remains warm and family-oriented. Women receive flowers, sweets, and gifts from colleagues and relatives, while government agencies organize concerts and celebrations.

“My friends and I always celebrate March 8. It’s wonderful to receive gifts from my brothers, friends, and husband, but I wish there was more year-round appreciation for women,” Madina, 27, from Tashkent told TCA.

Kyrgyzstan: Alongside traditional celebrations, women’s organizations and activists hold marches and discussions on gender rights, reflecting a shift toward reinterpreting the holiday.

“I participate in the women’s rights march every year because this day is not just about flowers; it’s about our opportunities and freedoms,” Gulzat, 23, from Bishkek told TCA.

Tajikistan and Turkmenistan: March 8 remains an official holiday, but without any strong political agenda.

“For me, this day is a time to gather with family, but I see that younger women are giving it a new meaning,” Zarina, 40, from Dushanbe told TCA.

Changing Values and Perspectives

Each year, debates over the significance of March 8 grow stronger. Some argue that it should remain a celebration of spring and femininity, while others emphasize its role in promoting gender equality. Regardless of interpretation, International Women’s Day remains an important occasion that unites different generations of women and reinforces the need for respect and support.

Over time, the holiday in Central Asia has evolved from a Soviet tradition into a modern celebration, reflecting both historical influences and contemporary challenges. Whether viewed as a day of appreciation or a call for equality, it remains a powerful symbol of women’s contributions to society.

07 Mar 2025

Central Asia, Home, Uzbekistan, Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Home, Uzbekistan Life & Culture

Uzbek Star Khusanov Named Man City’s Player of the Month

March 7, 2025
By Sadokat Jalolova

Uzbek footballer Abdukodir Khusanov has made history by being named Etihad Player of the Month for February, just six weeks after joining Manchester City on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

A Rapid Rise at City

Khusanov has quickly won over fans with his strong, fast, and determined defensive performances under head coach Pep Guardiola. His impressive displays earned him the highest number of votes ever recorded for the award, surpassing star players Erling Haaland and Joško Gvardiol.

The 21-year-old, who recently celebrated his birthday, has already made a significant impact at City. He scored his first goal for the club in early February, helping City secure a 2-1 victory against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.

Last month, he played every minute of City’s Premier League matches against Newcastle, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur. The team won two of these games, keeping clean sheets against Newcastle and Spurs. Even in City’s defeat to Liverpool, Khusanov stood out as one of the team’s best performers. His steady improvement suggests he is adapting well to English football.

Transfer and Future Prospects

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Khusanov joined Manchester City from French club Lens in a €40 million transfer. He signed a contract until June 2029, with an option to extend for another year.

Manchester City congratulated Khusanov on his award and thanked fans for their votes. With such a strong start, many believe he has much more to offer Guardiola’s squad in the future.

07 Mar 2025

Central Asia, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Features, Kazakhstan Featurees

Kazakhstan: Calls for Investigation into Rare Earth Metals Exports

September 4, 2025
By Dmitry Pokidaev

Azat Peruashev, head of the Ak Zhol parliamentary faction, has urged authorities to investigate subsoil users over alleged uncontrolled exports of rare earth metals.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Peruashev outlined his concerns in a parliamentary request addressed to Kazakhstan’s Anti-Corruption Service chief Askhat Zhumagali and Minister of Industry Ersaiyn Nagaspayev.

“Social media posts by former Kazakhmys laboratory assistant Bakyt Adilova allege that the corporation exports ore and copper concentrate without conducting chemical analysis, concealing the presence of valuable and rare earth metals. She claims the company artificially devalues exported resources, harming the national economy to benefit oligarchs,” Peruashev stated.

He also cited an interview with geologist Bakyt Muratov on Elmedia, in which the expert criticized the absence of laboratory analysis in ore and concentrate exports. Muratov noted that for decades, major mining companies have shipped raw materials abroad for processing, leaving Kazakhstan unaware of the true value of its exports.

“We still do not know exactly what we are selling. Complex ores are being exported without proper analysis. No one knows the vast sums of money that have left the country and returned as finished products,” Muratov said.

The Ak Zhol parliamentary faction is demanding official confirmation or denial of these claims. Lawmakers insist that authorities either prosecute those spreading false information or launch an anti-corruption investigation. Additionally, the party is calling for tighter government oversight of mineral exports.

“Kazakhstan holds significant reserves of rare earth metals, including lanthanum, cerium, and yttrium, strategic elements crucial for high-tech industries. Rare earth metals are emerging as the ‘new oil’ in the global economy, with their availability increasingly influencing global power dynamics. Experts estimate that demand for some of these metals could grow up to 40-fold in the coming years,” Peruashev concluded.

Response from Kazakhmys

In response, Kazakhmys Corporation stated that it does not engage in targeted mining of rare earth metals. However, the company acknowledged that small amounts of rare metals are recovered during acid washing processes. The corporation explained that production waste is processed at Zhezkazganredmet, a state-owned enterprise specializing in the separation and refining of rare metals. Waste from precious metal production is handled by Kazakhmys Progress LLP, which is responsible for refining.

“All company operations are strictly regulated by the relevant authorities. We fully support stronger state oversight of mineral exports and are open to dialogue with government agencies. Allegations of concealing rare earth metals or artificially lowering the value of exported raw materials are baseless and do not reflect reality,” Kazakhmys said in a statement.

Kazakhmys and the Broader Rare Earth Metals Landscape

Kazakhmys was established as a joint stock company in August 1997 and re-registered as a limited liability partnership in January 2005. The company specializes in mining and processing copper ore into cathodes and rods, refining and selling precious metals, and managing by-products from copper production.

Kazakhmys ranks as the world’s 20th largest producer of copper in concentrate (271 ktpa) and 12th largest producer of blister and cathode copper (377 ktpa and 365 ktpa, respectively). Its operations include mines, concentrators, and smelters.

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, experts cite investment challenges and weak oversight as key barriers to Kazakhstan’s development of the rare earth metals industry.