In this week’s episode of the CAPS Unlock podcast, we begin with a novelty in the European Union’s sanctions campaign toward Russia. For the first time, Brussels has applied what it calls an anti-circumvention mechanism at the level of an entire country: Kyrgyzstan.
The measure is narrow but consequential. It targets specific categories of industrial equipment and financial channels that the EU believes have enabled sanctioned goods to be rerouted into Russia. Bishkek firmly rejects these claims. While the immediate economic impact may be limited, the reputational implications are harder to dismiss. The move sets a precedent: third countries risk direct restrictions if they are seen as transit hubs in sanctions evasion. At the same time, contrasting treatment of Tajik banks, recently removed from the sanctions list, raises questions about how technical these decisions really are.
We then turn to Kazakhstan, where confusion over residence permit rules triggered unnecessary alarm.
Reports suggested applicants might need advanced Kazakh language proficiency at B2 level. That interpretation proved incorrect. The government later clarified that requirements have not broadly tightened, but instead become more selective. Highly skilled professionals in priority sectors are now exempt from language and scoring requirements, while controls for others are becoming more structured. The episode highlights a recurring issue: policy communication remains uneven, even when the underlying direction is relatively clear.
In this week’s interview, we look at foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) in Central Asia with Shairbek Dzhuraev, executive director of Crossroads Central Asia. Drawing on the European Neighbourhood Council’s report Information Under Pressure, we examine how external actors, primarily Russia and China, project narratives into local information spaces.
These campaigns are sustained, coordinated, and adapted to national contexts. In Kazakhstan, messaging is locally calibrated; in Uzbekistan, it is more global and ideological. The conversation also explores a growing “resilience gap,” as pressure on independent media and civil society weakens the region’s ability to respond.
Links
Report: Information Under Pressure (European Neighbourhood Council) - https://encouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CA_FIMI-Report.pdf
European Commission: EU 20th sanctions package announcement - https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_869
Interview with President Sadyr Japarov (Kabar) - https://ru.kabar.kg/news/intervyu-s-prezidentom-kyrgyzstana-sadyrom-zhaparovym/
