The pressure campaign follows the death of 14 servicemen, aged 19 to 23, who were swept into the Caspian Sea while disembarking from the patrol boat Kaisar during the Khazar Qorgany-2026 exercise near Aktau. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed Defense Minister Dauren Kosanov, who had held the post since 2025, shortly after the accident. Five other defense officials, including the Navy's first deputy commander-in-chief, were detained on suspicion of negligence and violations of navigation safety rules.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Kazakh Police Pressure Online Critics to Prevent Mass Protests
World24 days ago
Law enforcement officers in Kazakhstan are contacting individuals who have criticized military leadership on social media to demand the removal of their posts. Several citizens told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that police officers called them to pressure the deletion of criticism following recent military fatalities. One recorded conversation with an Almaty police officer suggests the crackdown is intended to prevent a recurrence of the January 2022 mass protests, which ended in a violent crackdown and left 238 people dead.
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