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Death in Peacetime: Navigating Challenges and Responses in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces

Deputies in the Mazhilis have raised the issue of violent deaths and suicides in the armed forces, whilst sections of the public have also called for the army to be converted to a contract basis and the draft age to be raised. Alarming statistics In late September, Konstantin Avershin, a member of the Mazhilis Committee on International Affairs, Defense, and Security, spoke about the results of an investigation into suicides in law enforcement and security agencies. Over the past four years, 86 suicides have occurred in across said agencies, Avershin stated, with this data pertaining to the Ministry of Defense, the National Guard of the Interior Ministry, the Border Service of the National Security Committee, the State Protection Service, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. “In four years, 40 suicides have been registered in the Armed Forces. In 2021 - 10, 2022 - 7, 2023 - 12, and 2024 - 11. By category these were: officers - 7, contract servicemen - 22, cadets - 4, conscript soldiers - 7. Pretrial investigations have been completed in 34 cases, and final procedural decisions have been made. In none of them were signs found of 'leading' to suicide,” according to Avershin. The proceedings in these cases were terminated due to a lack of corpus delicti. Despite this, based on the results of official investigations, disciplinary measures were taken against 180 persons: eleven were relieved of their posts, two were demoted, and 167 service personnel received various disciplinary sanctions in line with their rank. On October 8, Avershin raised another problem: the poor quality of food being provided to service personnel. According to his data, the funds allotted for rations per soldier is 2,250 tenge ($4.6) per day. By comparison, chess players, sport fishermen, ship modelers, and players of togyzumalak (a national board game) and checkers are entitled to 6,276.4 tenge ($12.9) per day, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sport's regulations for 2024. “A soldier cannot be fed almost three times worse than a checkers player,” Avershin stated. Earlier, MP Nartai Sarsengaliyev asked Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov about the current situation in Kazakhstan's army. The deputy highlighted numerous high-profile cases, stating that over the past three years, 270 servicemen have died in Kazakhstan. “In August 2023, a commanding officer beat a recruit with a chair in a military unit. The case was closed after the parties reconciled. In June 2024, in one of the military units in the Zhambyl region, a soldier who had been in the army for only one month was admitted to intensive care in an unconscious state. The situation caused shocked society. National Guard soldier Yerbayan Mukhtar has been unconscious for five months after suffering a head injury. Those in charge say that 'Yerbayan 'fell in the bathroom and sustained a head injury.' Who would believe this? As a result of the injury, half of the soldier's skull was removed. Now, he needs constant care. Now his parents are taking Yerbayan abroad for treatment,” Sarsengaliyev stated. In...

Russia China Atomic Energy Nuclear Energy public opinion NPP Nuclear Referendum Energy Security

Kazakhstan Enters Era of Peaceful Nuclear Energy

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's bet on a referendum to secure citizens' consent to construct a nuclear power plant has worked. The Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan announced the final results of the referendum held last Sunday, in which 63,66% of citizens eligible to vote showed up at the polling stations. 71.12 % answered “Yes” to the question on the ballot paper about consent to constructing the nuclear power plant. Organizations engaged in sociological surveys of voters at the exit polls announced similar results on Sunday night and Monday. “The exit poll of the Institute of Complex Social Studies - Astana (SOCIS-A) called the referendum participants' decision to favor the construction of nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan. 'For' voted 69.8%, ‘Against’ - 30.2%. Similar figures were shown by the Institute of Eurasian Integration exit poll ('For' - 71.8%, 'Against' - 28.2%). According to the Institute of Public Policy of the Amanat party, 72.3% of referendum participants voted in favor of the NPP construction. In comparison, 27.7% voted against,” Kazakhstani political analyst Eduard Poletayev said on his Facebook account. His colleague Daniyar Ashimbayev, commenting on the exit poll data, emphasized that Kazakhstanis have managed to overcome old phobias related to Chernobyl and tests at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, as well as “enemy propaganda.” By 'propaganda', he means the agitation work of opponents to NPP construction. [caption id="attachment_24131" align="alignnone" width="300"] @ТСА/Kubaizhanov[/caption] “For many years, projects to return to nuclear energy were discussed, but there was always a lack of political will, and powerful foreign pressure prevented the decision necessary for the country. And even now, during the campaign period, we have seen the active work of propagandists paid from abroad to not only disrupt the plans for the construction of nuclear power plants but also to try to destabilize the situation in the country,” said Ashimbayev. Ashimbayev implies that the United States is putting sticks in the wheels of the development of Kazakhstan's nuclear industry. And the point here is not that American nuclear corporations were left off the shortlist, which Kazakhstan is considering, but in the usual policy of containment. Not Kazakhstan, of course, but Russia and China - Washington's main geopolitical rivals and competitors. Realizing this, Tokayev, after voting in the referendum and answering journalists' questions afterward, said that he would like the NPP to be built by an international consortium, presumably from the companies of those countries that were on the shortlist: Russia, China, South Korea, and France. “This is not an easy question. The government should engage in analysis and conduct appropriate negotiations. My vision for this issue is for an international consortium to work in Kazakhstan, consisting of global companies with the most advanced technologies. Further, as they say, life will show,” Tokayev said. Kazakhstan has turned another significant page in its history. In 400 days of discussing nuclear power plants - how long it took from when Tokayev first mentioned atomic power to the end of the campaign period - the president's team has managed the...

Energy Security Nuclear Referendum public opinion Environmental Awareness Energy

Referendum for Nuclear Power in Kazakhstan Passes

Kazakhstan's nuclear energy referendum on October 6 passed with a 71.12 % majority, marking a pivotal shift in the country's energy strategy. The nation has faced significant challenges with an aging energy infrastructure and a reliance on Russia to fill the gaps. The decision comes with historical sensitivities as Kazakhstan continues to grapple with the legacy of Soviet-era nuclear tests that caused widespread harm. The referendum offered citizens a direct voice in shaping their energy future, reflecting both the urgency of addressing the country’s current needs and the deep-seated concerns over nuclear safety. On the referendum ballot, Kazakhstanis were asked, “Do you agree to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?”. The voter turnout was high, according to the Central Referendum Commission, with 7,820,918 Kazakhstan citizens receiving ballots, amounting to a 63.87% voter turnout. The voter turnout for the referendum on the new constitution in Kazakhstan, held on June 5, 2022, was similarly high at 68.44%. As the world's largest uranium producer, Kazakhstan is well-positioned to leverage its rich resources to transition towards more sustainable energy solutions. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the critical importance of nuclear energy, not only in meeting the immediate electricity needs amidst frequent power outages but also in aligning with global environmental commitments. At the Convention on Climate Change (COP28) held in Dubai on December 1, 2023, Tokayev made a Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The nuclear power plant is expected to reduce Kazakhstan's reliance on fossil fuels, thus decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Uzbekistan has already begun construction of a nuclear power plant 55km from the Kazakhstan border. Kyrgyzstan may also build a nuclear power plant in the Chui region, which is less than 300km south of the planned Kazakhstani plant in Ulken on Lake Balkash. International observers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) have all affirmed that the recent referendum was conducted in accordance with current legislation, describing it as open, free, and legitimate. Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko noted the participation of over 200 foreign journalists during the referendum, underscoring the transparency and openness of the voting process. Radio Free Europe, through its affiliate Azattyk, was critical of the referendum. An incident of ballot stuffing at a Turkestan poll station was reported, as were accessibility issues for the disabled voters in the Uralsk region. One observer witnessed a suspicious busload of voters in Turkestan. RFE correspondents reported difficulty in getting voter turnout results throughout the afternoon at a station in Karganda and Aktobe. With that in mind, the irregularities seem to be few and far between overall: The League of Young Voters, a vigilant group of local observers, identified a total of 20 technical violations across the country’s 10,249 polling stations. The referendum day proceeded without significant issues, shifting attention to Kazakhstan's urgent energy shortfalls. With the nuclear power plant expected to be operational in 2034,...

Energy Security Referendum Atomic Energy Strategy Nuclear Energy public opinion NPP Nuclear Referendum

Kazakhstan Awaits Results of Nuclear Referendum; Exit Polls Indicate a “Yes” Vote

Kazakhstan is awaiting the official results of a referendum on whether to build its first nuclear power plant, though exit polls showed “yes” voters were in the majority, according to state-run media reports. The project could ease chronic energy shortages and reduce reliance on coal-fired facilities but is fraught with concerns about costs, transparency, and the legacy of the human and environmental cost of Soviet nuclear weapons testing decades ago. Led by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan’s political establishment has backed the idea of peaceful nuclear power as a way to move the country forward and the referendum appears aimed partly at giving people a sense of agency after the trauma of Soviet testing at Semipalatinsk. But some opponents allege that authorities restricted their efforts to organize a “no” campaign with detentions and other pressure designed to lock in an expected vote in favor. Officials results had not been announced as of early Monday morning. Voting at polling stations in Kazakhstan ended at 8 p.m. on Sunday and turnout among eligible voters was 63.87%, according to the Central Election Commission. The highest turnout was in the Kyzylorda region (82.48%) and the lowest turnout was in the city of Almaty (25.39%). Turnout in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, was 50.81%. “The precinct referendum commissions have begun counting the votes. The counting process at each polling station must not exceed twelve hours from the start of the count,” the commission said. Additionally, more than 7,358 Kazakh citizens voted at polling stations abroad, including in Asia, South America, Europe, and the United States, according to Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He noted at a briefing on Sunday night that the referendum had been monitored by observers from regional organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Turkic States, and the Astana-based Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. The heads of the observer missions said the referendum was “open, free, and legitimate, with no violations detected at any polling stations,” Vassilenko said. Kazakhstan also invited observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, but the OSCE declined to send a delegation “due to heavy workload,” reported the state-run Kazinform news agency. The OSCE sent a mission to observe a 2022 referendum on constitutional changes in Kazakhstan and concluded that it took place “in an environment short of genuine political pluralism.” One critic of the rules surrounding the nuclear referendum is Tamara Yeslyamova, editor-in-chief of the Uralskaya Nedelya, a newspaper that has sparred with the government over the years. A judge issued her with a fine for 110,760 tenge ($230) after she conducted video interviews about the referendum on nuclear power with half a dozen people on the street, the newspaper reported. It said the judge concluded that the interviews amounted to a public opinion survey; the law says such a poll can only be done by a state-sanctioned entity.

public opinion Energy Security Nuclear Referendum Nuclear Energy Atomic Energy

Kazakhstanis Will Be Able to Vote in 61 Countries in the Nuclear Power Referendum

Speaking at a briefing, Secretary of the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Erman said that 76 polling stations in 61 countries abroad will be opened for citizens to participate in the referendum on constructing nuclear power plants. However, the polling station in Lebanon will not open due to the current situation there. “Just today, we held consultations with the Foreign Ministry, and we received information from our colleagues that one polling station in Lebanon will not be opened because, you know, there are full-scale hostilities in that country. The situation there is tough; we cannot risk our voters' and fellow citizens' lives and health. That is why there are currently 76 polling stations and 61 countries,” Erman said, noting that all procedures relating to voting abroad — opening of polling stations, counting of votes, and transfer of information — will be carried out in strict accordance with Kazakhstan's current legislation. Earlier, The Times of Central Asia reported that 177 international observers from 30 countries and four international organizations will monitor the referendum on NPP in Kazakhstan. In addition, on the day of the referendum, 200 foreign journalists from 37 countries will be on the ground to ensure the transparency and objectivity of the referendum. The idea of holding the referendum, which will be held on October 6, 2024, emerged against the backdrop of regular problems with energy supply and the need to modernize infrastructure. An active debate has accompanied the move.

Nuclear Referendum Energy Atomic Energy Nuclear Energy public opinion

Observers From 30 Countries Will Follow the Referendum on NPP in Kazakhstan

The secretary of the Central Referendum Commission, Mukhtar Erman, has announced that 177 international observers will monitor the referendum on constructing a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan. Erman specified that observers represent 30 countries and four international organizations. Major international organizations invited by Kazakhstan include the OSCE, SCO, CIS, and Organization of Turkic States; however, the OSCE will not participate due to its high workload. Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko added that 200 foreign journalists from 37 countries, including international media representatives, will work on the day of the referendum. According to Vassilenko, this will ensure transparency and objectivity. The idea of holding the referendum, which will be held on October 6, 2024, emerged against the backdrop of regular problems with energy supply and the need to modernize infrastructure. An active debate has characterized the build-up to the referendum, a project supported by the authorities as a solution to combat energy shortages and carbon dioxide emissions, whilst some quarters of the population remain concerned about environmental risks and Kazakhstan's historical connection to nuclear testing.