Central Asia's week that was #42
Mining deaths in Kazakhstan, drone strike on pipeline, fuel shortages in Uzbekistan. Also, opposition arrests in Kyrgyzstan, Karakalpak activist freed, and CCTV cameras to combat school bullying.
So this happened…
Seven workers died following a collapse at a copper mine in central Kazakhstan’s Ulytau region. The accident was caused by a natural gas explosion at a depth of 640 metres, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told reporters. The mine is operated by Kazakhmys, one of the country’s largest copper producers. Work at the mine has been suspended, and two government commissions were given 10 days to determine the cause of the accident and identify safety violations. Kazakhstan’s mining industry has struggled for decades with chronic safety failures. In the country’s deadliest-ever mining disaster, a fire in October 2023 at an ArcelorMittal-run mine in Karaganda killed 46 workers. In the wake of this latest accident, lawmaker Arman Kalykov condemned Kazakhmys for failing to improve safety standards, despite making high profits. Another MP suggested that Kazakhmys should be nationalized.
A Ukrainian drone strike damaged a key oil pumping station on a pipeline carrying crude from Kazakhstan through Russia. The attack on the Kropotkinskaya station, part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system, forced a shutdown and is expected to disrupt oil flows. The CPC pipeline stretches more than 1,500 kilometres from Kazakhstan’s Chevron-operated Tengiz oil field to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, with more than 1,000 kilometres crossing Russian territory. Russian deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak estimated that the attack could cut shipments by up to 40 percent pending repairs, which he said could take months. That is a blow to Kazakhstan, which depends on CPC for most of its oil exports. Ukraine’s military claimed responsibility, calling the strike a success.
Kazakhstan and Hungary agreed to test oil shipments via Russia’s Druzhba pipeline. An eventual long-term deal would make Hungary the second European country after Germany to receive Kazakh crude via this route. Hungary claims it is working to wean itself off its dependence on Russian oil, which a senior executive at the Budapest-based oil and gas company MOL Group has said could happen by the end of 2026. MOL Group, whose refineries depend on Druzhba, is exploring how to expand its presence in Kazakhstan’s energy sector. Its key investment there is a 27.5 percent stake in the Rozhkovskoye gas field in western Kazakhstan, which holds nearly 27 billion cubic metres of recoverable gas reserves.
Turkey and Turkmenistan reached a deal to start natural gas deliveries via Iran using a swap arrangement. The agreement between Turkey’s state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS and Turkmenistan’s Turkmengaz aims to begin gas flows on March 1. Under the deal, Turkmenistan will supply gas to Iran, which will then deliver an equivalent volume to Turkey. Initial volumes are expected to reach 2 billion cubic metres annually. By further diversifying Turkey’s supply sources, this arrangement bolsters Ankara’s ambition to become a regional energy hub. Turkey, which consumes over 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year, already imports pipeline gas from Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia, giving it an uncommon degree of flexibility in securing energy from multiple suppliers.
Uzbekistan temporarily restricted compressed natural gas supplies to automobile refueling stations over a four-day period following a surge in demand precipitated by a cold snap. The rationing also coincided with a pipeline accident in the Bukhara region, which market analysts believe may have contributed to fuel shortages in the capital, Tashkent. The authorities responded to shortfalls by prioritising gas deliveries to households and essential public facilities. Supply to refueling stations only resumed once pressure levels in the system had stabilised. Motorists reported long queues at gas stations, while taxi users saw fares spike by up to 30 percent in Tashkent. The government says it is working with regional authorities to ensure a stable supply of automobile gas, although some station owners claim to have been affected by restrictions since mid-January.
Union of Parents of Kazakhstan members disrupting a Feminita event. Police in Kazakhstan filed charges against a group of feminist and LGBT rights activists following an incident in which conservative campaigners violently disrupted their event. Feminita’s co-founders, Gulzada Serzhan and Zhanar Sekerbayeva, are accused of running an unregistered organization. The charges stem from a human rights training seminar organized last week by Feminita, which was stormed by members of the Union of Parents of Kazakhstan, an ultra-conservative group known for harassing feminist and LGBT events. Feminita claims anti-feminist activist Bagila Baltabayeva physically assaulted one of their members. Police appear to have ignored property damage complaints and instead detained Feminita’s leaders. A ruling-party MP in October called for Feminita to be designated an extremist movement, arguing that it was a “disgusting organization that is leading our youth to debauchery.”
And there’s this too…
Yet another member of Kyrgyzstan’s opposition Social Democrats party was detained on charges of inciting mass unrest. A court in Bishkek ruled that Farhad Baabiyev must remain in pretrial detention for at least two months while investigations continue. Baabiyev’s supporters say his arrest was sparked by an alleged Facebook repost critical of the authorities, though they have been unable to locate the post. Baabiyev joins a growing list of Social Democrats members detained by law enforcement in recent months. Also this week, jailed party leader Temirlan Sultanbekov suspended a hunger strike that had lasted nearly 100 days. Sultanbekov, who has visibly wasted away during his protest, said he will focus on regaining his health before resuming his strike after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Anti-monopoly enforcers in Kazakhstan launched an investigation into alleged illegal business practices by Batys Petroleum, a company reportedly linked to Timur Kulibayev, the billionaire son-in-law of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Authorities in Atyrau, an oil-rich region in the west, suspect the company of abusing its dominant market position by setting excessively high prices for railway tank car maintenance services. If found guilty, Batys Petroleum could face fines of up to 5 percent of its annual revenue, confiscation of unlawfully earned profits, and a mandatory reduction of prices. Nazarbayev’s family and close associates have seen their influence wane since a wave of political unrest in January 2022 that was fueled in part by anger over years of perceived self-dealing and economic favouritism among ruling elites.
Aqylbek Muratbai seen after his release from custody. A court in Almaty, Kazakhstan, ordered the release of Karakalpak activist Aqylbek Muratbai after he spent a year in detention at Uzbekistan’s request. Muratbai was arrested last February in compliance with an Uzbek extradition request accusing him of inciting unrest. He had spent the previous two years documenting political repression in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan in which dozens were killed by government forces during the violent suppression of a protest in July 2022. Muratbai was apparently seen as particularly problematic by Uzbek authorities as he was one of a few Karakalpak activists communicating and sharing information with international media outlets. His case fit a pattern of Uzbek authorities seeking the arrest of Karakalpak activists abroad. Other activists detained in Kazakhstan avoided extradition but were also refused asylum. Some later received refuge in the United States.
Two inmates died at separate prisons in Uzbekistan within a week, raising fresh concerns over the country’s penitentiary system. One of the deceased was Mustafa Turysnbayev, 41, a Karakalpak citizen journalist and founder of Nukus Online, a YouTube channel. Turysnbayev, who was serving a five-year sentence in a Tashkent penitentiary, was critically injured when a wall collapsed on him at a prison worksite. The second case involved Muhammadkodir Pulatov, 21, who died at a prison in the city of Olmaliq. Pulatov’s mother claims his body bore signs of torture, including bruises and electric shock marks. Authorities say he died of a heart attack but have opened an investigation nonetheless. Turysnbayev’s death marks the third time in two years that a Karakalpak activist has died in custody.
Uzbekistan will from April introduce new financial support measures for low-income families, including grants for employment projects and subsidies for water infrastructure in drought-affected regions. Households listed in a state-compiled Impoverished Families Registry will be eligible for grants of up to around $1,500 to fund small-scale employment and social initiatives benefitting at least three women, young people, or other vulnerable individuals. In Karakalpakstan and Khorezm, where water shortages are severe, targeted subsidies will be earmarked for households to drill wells, install water pumps, and purchase drinking water filtration systems. From May, medical treatment and costs of undergoing surgery will shift from social assistance funds to a State Health Insurance Fund — a move aimed at centralising healthcare financing. These measures represent a bold effort to restructure Uzbekistan’s welfare system, although questions remain about implementation and oversight.
The Interior Ministry in Kyrgyzstan has begun linking school surveillance cameras to a national police monitoring system following a series of deadly bullying incidents. Officials said that 140 out of 218 cameras installed in schools across the capital, Bishkek, have already been connected. Work is underway to integrate more. This effort comes amid public outrage over multiple recent cases of school violence. In one incident from last month, a 14-year-old student at a school in Bishkek was assaulted in a restroom by older students and later died in intensive care. President Sadyr Japarov voiced concern in January over a rise in violent incidents involving children. He also approved the creation of 550 new positions for social workers to be tasked with supporting children in vulnerable situations.
