The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed an interest in visiting Uzbekistan, according to one of his special envoys, raising the possibility that Central Asia could eventually receive its first visit by a sitting American president. Paolo Zampolli, Trump’s Special Envoy for Global Partnerships and long-time Trump associate, made the comment...

Asset Recovery

Kazakhstan Ratifies European Legal Assistance Convention as Asset Recovery Push Expands

Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Weighs a Second Major Oil Export Route

Following repeated disruptions to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system, Kazakhstan’s leading oil producers are examining a much larger Trans-Caspian export route. A working group representing eight shareholders responsible for production in the Tengiz and Kashagan fields has commissioned a feasibility study for moving crude from the Atyrau area to...

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Defense Ministry Inspection Leads to 13 Criminal Cases in Wake of Soldiers’ Deaths

A comprehensive inspection of Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry has resulted in 13 criminal cases involving suspected theft of state property, abuse of office, and other violations. The inspection follows the deaths of 14 servicemen during military exercises in the Caspian Sea on September 24. On October 5, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev heard...

Public Health

Reports of Suspected Plague in Russia Prompt Central Asian Health Checks

Reports surrounding the death of an employee at an anti-plague research institute in Russia’s Irkutsk region have prompted health authorities across Central Asia to tighten sanitary controls and review preparedness measures. Russian officials have not confirmed that the employee contracted plague or that a laboratory accident occurred. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,...

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red...

Religious Regulations, Russian Rehearsals, and the TCTC’s Regional Roadblocks

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Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: Why Are Uzbekistan’s Snipers So Good?

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Opinions

Opinion: Central Asia Is More Than Minerals

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Opinion: Weaponizing Faith – The Cold War Roots of Central Asia’s Security Dilemma

Zabikhulla Saipov

From Lenin to Kenesary: What Kazakhstan’s Renamed Streets Say About Power

Issatay Minuarov

Opinion: Why Central Asia Cannot Afford to Abandon the Iranian Route

Timur Serikuly

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Show What Diplomacy Can Deliver as Vast Rail Project with China Advances

Javier M. Piedra

Uzbekistan’s Heritage Did Not Stop With the Silk Road

Mathieu Lemoine

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Demining Expertise Could Provide Boost to Afghanistan

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Uzbekistan Census – When the Village Reappears in the City

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: The Specter Is Back – A Kazakh Warning to America

Askar Alimzhanov

Opinion: The Amu Darya Stress Test – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Politics of Agricultural Adaptation

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s New Income Growth Plan – Administrative Measures Against Market Realities

Igor Klevtsov

Opinion: Central Asia’s Shift from Silk Road Romance to Infrastructure Finance – What the June Forums Are Building

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

Business & Economy

Bilateral Relations

Tokayev and UK Trade Minister Discuss Investment, Energy and AI Cooperation

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with UK Minister of State for Trade Lord Anas Sarwar in Astana on October 7 to discuss cooperation in energy, transport and logistics, digitalization and artificial intelligence. Tokayev said the United Kingdom remains one of Kazakhstan’s leading trade and investment partners. Bilateral trade rose by 83% in 2025 to more than $1.6 billion, according to the Kazakh presidency. More than 500 British companies operate in the country. The commercial relationship has long been anchored partly in energy. British energy major Shell holds stakes in the Karachaganak and Kashagan projects, and in March signed a new...

Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Weighs a Second Major Oil Export Route

Gas Trade

Uzbekistan Gas Exports Fall 35% as Imports Rise

AI Adoption

Industrial AI Reaches Kazakhstan’s Factories, but Many Projects Remain Experimental

Telecommunications

M360 Eurasia Mobile Industry Forum Set for Astana in 2027

Bank Membership

Oman Set to Join Eurasian Development Bank as First Gulf Shareholder

Oman is set to become the eighth shareholder of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the first Gulf state to join the institution. An agreement was signed in Astana on October 6 during Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said’s state visit to Kazakhstan. The EDB’s current shareholders are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Oman would become the first member from outside the former Soviet Union. The agreement, signed by Omani Finance Minister Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi and EDB Chairman Nikolai Podguzov, sets out the terms of the EDB’s operations in Oman. “This agreement reflects our shared...

Rail Corridors

Kazakhstan Pursues Trans-Afghan Railway Routes to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan wants a railway route to the Indian Ocean through Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is already freight that could use such a corridor: in the first seven months of 2026, Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan approached $573 million. What does not yet exist is a continuous railway all the way to the sea. Several developments around this route took place in late September. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates agreed to study a corridor through Afghanistan to Pakistani ports. In western Afghanistan, a new section of a separate railway built with the participation of a company from Kazakhstan opened. Astana...

Satellite Development

Kazakhstan Plans Six New Earth Observation Satellites

Kazakhstan plans to build six Earth observation satellites, including three high-resolution and three medium-resolution spacecraft. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev announced the expansion at a government meeting on October 6. The country’s existing system operates three satellites. Their imagery can be used to monitor fires and floods and detect illegal mining, construction, and land use. For Kazakhstan, which covers about 2.7 million square kilometers, satellite imagery makes it possible to monitor large areas regularly without continuous ground inspections. Madiyev put the economic impact of space-based monitoring over the past five years at...

Foreign Investment

China Accounts for Nearly Half of Foreign Direct Investment in Kyrgyzstan in 2025

Kyrgyzstan received $1.31 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, up 27.3% from the previous year. Nearly half came from China, according to a new report from the country's National Statistical Committee entitled Investments in the Kyrgyz Republic 2021-2025. The figures are for gross FDI inflows, meaning they measure investment entering Kyrgyzstan without subtracting money flowing back out. China accounted for 47.5% of gross FDI, followed by Russia with 13.9%, Kazakhstan with 9.3%, Turkey with 9.1%, and the Netherlands with 5.4%. Together, these five countries accounted for more than 85% of the total. The sources of foreign capital shifted...

Local Politics

Election Campaign

Kyrgyzstan Presidential Election: What Has Changed Since 2020?

Kyrgyzstan’s presidential election is scheduled for January 27, 2027, with candidate nominations already open. Sadyr Japarov intends to run for a second term, but the political landscape bears little resemblance to the situation six years ago, when he came to power following the protests of October 2020. Since then, Kyrgyzstan has shifted from a parliamentary to a presidential model, rewritten its election rules, and changed its media legislation. Japarov’s political alliance with Kamchybek Tashiyev, the former chief of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), has collapsed. Tashiyev, until recently considered a possible successor to the president, has been convicted...

Population

Kyrgyzstan Aging Population Puts Growing Pressure on Pension System

Saida Mirziyoyeva

Opinion: Why Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration Was Given Sweeping Powers and Broad Immunity

Opposition

Tajikistan’s Islamic Opposition Changes Leader After 20 Years

Secularism

Kazakhstan Hijab Debate Exposes Divide Over Secularism

Tourism

Turkmenistan Launches E-Visa System, But Questions Remain

Turkmenistan says it has introduced an online visa system that will streamline travel for foreign citizens, though there is some uncertainty about the new procedures for visiting one of the world’s most closed countries. The State Migration Service briefed foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations about its system of processing and issuing electronic visas as well as an online system to register foreign citizens staying in Turkmenistan, along with “individuals and legal entities” hosting them. “New digital services will allow foreign citizens arriving in the country to save time, transfer documents to electronic management, and carry out all work...

Independence Day

Turkmenistan Marks 35 Years of Independence Amid Reports of Shortages

Turkmenistan marked 35 years of independence on September 27 with a military parade and mass celebrations in Ashgabat. The festivities followed independent reports of food shortages and disrupted public transport in the capital. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov attended the parade at the State Tribune complex, where military units and armored vehicles passed before the country’s leaders. The official account described mounted formations and a simultaneous naval display on the Caspian Sea. A civilian procession followed, with decorated floats representing the country’s regions and economic sectors. Performers in traditional dress joined the celebrations, while the government presented Berdimuhamedov with an Akhal-Teke horse...

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Orders Military Overhaul After 14 Die in Caspian Drills

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has replaced the country’s defense minister, three days after 14 servicemen were killed during military exercises in the Caspian Sea. Tokayev appointed Aidos Myrzakhmetov to lead the ministry, ordered a broad inspection of the Defense Ministry, and gave officials ten days to prepare a military reform plan. Dauren Kosanov, who had held the role since June 2025, was dismissed on September 27. On the same day, Tokayev appointed Myrzakhmetov and introduced him at a meeting of senior Defense Ministry officials. Myrzakhmetov, 45, is a career officer who spent much of his career in the State Guard...

Education Policy

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

Kazakhstan is considering whether to eliminate the 12th grade at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS), as some families transfer their children to regular schools after the 10th grade so they can graduate a year earlier. Established in 2008, NIS is a state-funded network of elite schools specializing in science, mathematics, and languages. It operates its own 12-year curriculum. Education Minister Zhuldyz Suleimenova said 88% of NIS graduates finish school at age 18, while about 300 received their diplomas at age 19 last year. A commission is examining whether the curriculum can be compressed into 11 grades, with conclusions expected by January...

International Affairs

Migrants in Russia

They Went to Russia for Work and Ended Up at War: How Central Asians Enter the Russian Military

Twenty-year-old Ainabek Keldibek went to Russia expecting to work as a security guard. Relatives of other young Kazakh men say they had taken jobs at a sausage factory and a poultry farm. But according to reports aired in early October on Kazakhstan’s KTK television channel, the men later ended up in or near the combat zone in Ukraine. Some appeared in videos wearing Russian military uniforms and asked Kazakhstan to help bring them home. On October 7, relatives of Kazakh citizens who had reportedly ended up in Russia’s military visited the Foreign Ministry in Astana to seek help bringing them...

U.S.-Central Asia Engagement

Central Asia Looks to a Possible Trump Visit

Trade and Investment

Oman Trade Corridor Could Link Kazakhstan to Indian Ocean

Latvia-Uzbekistan relations

Latvia Proposes Temporary Visa Suspension for Uzbek Citizens

CAMCA

Opinion: Building Bridges, Backing the Future: Why Entrepreneurs Must Connect Across Borders

Visa Liberalization

Tajikistan and Iran Expand Visa-Free Travel

Tajikistan says a visa-free regime with Iran has been fully implemented, allowing citizens of each country to travel more freely to the other. As of October 5, Tajik and Iranian citizens with “ordinary foreign passports” can enter, transit through, and stay in the territory of the other country without a visa for up to 30 days within a 90-day period, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “This system is implemented through international border crossings, including land crossings, international airports, and air routes from third countries, in compliance with the requirements of the national legislation of both countries,” Tajikistan’s state Khovar...

CAMCA

Opinion: The 2026 CAMCA Regional Forum Concludes – What’s Next?

The 2026 CAMCA Regional Forum has concluded in Baku after two full days of conversation on a range of topics shaping the future of the region. The closing ceremony included an official announcement that next year’s Forum will take place in Uzbekistan in June of 2027. The question now is: in the lead-up to next year’s convening, how do we build on the connections, ideas and momentum built in Baku to truly advance regional cooperation in the months ahead? How do we turn conversation into action? The mechanism and catalyst for this will be the CAMCA Network – the dynamic...

Arms Trade

India Says It Exported Akash Missile System to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

India says Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are customers of its Akash surface-to-air missile system, which can be used to counter threats including drones, missiles, and fighter aircraft. The two Central Asian countries have not commented publicly on the Akash exports, and Indian officials have not provided details about the transactions. But Indian Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has told Asian News International (ANI) that there is growing international interest in the Akash system, which Indian officials regard as a success of their indigenous defense industry. "Akash, I would say that it is one of our success stories. It shows the maturing...

Avaza Summit

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

On Thursday, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is due to receive Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rahmon, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Ilham Aliyev in a place built to impress visitors. Thursday’s meeting will be the first formal consultative summit since Azerbaijan joined the format as a full participant in November 2025. The six presidents have already met once in the new configuration, at an informal gathering in Cholpon Ata on July 31, where they signed a declaration covering closer cooperation on transport, energy, trade, and security. Construction of Avaza began in late 2007, as Turkmenistan sought to create a national showcase on...

Life & Culture

Tourism Promotion

MrBeast to Meet Fans in Tashkent on First Central Asia Trip

American YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, will visit Tashkent on October 9 on his first trip to Central Asia, Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation announced. The visit is being organized by the foundation in cooperation with the country’s Tourism Committee. Donaldson has a combined audience of more than half a billion subscribers across his YouTube channels. His main channel alone has around 520 million subscribers. He is known for big-budget videos built around elaborate challenges, competitions, and large cash prizes. In Tashkent, 200 fans over the age of 18 will be selected at random to attend a...

Public Health

Reports of Suspected Plague in Russia Prompt Central Asian Health Checks

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

Live Music

Shakira Will Bring World Tour to Kyrgyzstan

Nobel Prize in Literature

Uzbek Writer Hamid Ismailov Appears in Bookmakers’ Odds for 2026 Nobel Prize

Kennedy’s 1978 Visit

Ted Kennedy’s 1978 Visit to Kazakhstan in Archival Photos

United States Senator Ted Kennedy’s visit to Alma-Ata in 1978 came at a time when foreign tourists were much less common in Central Asia than they are today. Most tourists from Western countries came through Intourist, the Soviet state travel organization that handled foreign visitors. Private enterprise was largely absent from the Soviet economy, although limited forms of individual work were legally permitted. But high-ranking visitors sometimes came to the region as official guests, most often to take part in international events. [caption id="attachment_57860" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Edward Kennedy (second from left) at a World Health Organization congress.[/caption] In September 1978,...

Kyrgyz Film

The Filmmakers Behind Kanjar on Action and Cultural Heritage

A stolen dagger drives the action in Kanjar, a Kyrgyz thriller that explores the loss of cultural heritage. Director and screenwriter Adilet Akmatov draws on his experience as a stunt performer and fight choreographer to bring the story to the screen. Co-producer and actor Mohamed Hamad Haymour took a different route into the project. Born in Canada to Lebanese parents, he moved to Kyrgyzstan with his wife intending to open a restaurant. A meeting with Akmatov led him into filmmaking and his first feature-film role, playing a villain. Following a preview screening, Akmatov and Haymour spoke to Shahsanem Murray about...

Asian Games

Central Asia Wins 186 Asian Games Medals as Uzbekistan Finishes Fifth

Athletes from Central Asia’s five countries won 186 medals at the Asian Games in Japan, where Uzbekistan finished fifth overall and Kazakhstan claimed the region’s largest medal haul. The 20th Summer Asian Games were held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. China once again topped the medal table, followed by Japan and South Korea. Uzbekistan won 70 medals, including 21 golds, matching its fifth-place finish at the previous Games in Hangzhou. The result follows a 13th-place finish in the medal table at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kazakhstan won 84 medals, including 12 golds, and finished eighth in...

antidoping

WADA Executive Committee to Meet in Astana Ahead of 2027 Anti-Doping Code

The Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will meet in Astana on November 23-27, around five weeks before a revised World Anti-Doping Code comes into force on January 1, 2027. WADA is an independent international organization established in 1999 to coordinate and monitor anti-doping rules and policies across global sport. The meeting also comes ahead of a busy year for international sport in Kazakhstan. Six world championships are scheduled to take place in Astana in 2027: junior short track speed skating, boxing, table tennis, judo, taekwondo, and esports. The packed calendar puts added focus on Kazakhstan’s anti-doping preparations,...

Justice

Espionage

German Spy Scandal Puts Central Asian and Caucasus Espionage Cases in Focus

The arrest of former German intelligence chief August Hanning has drawn attention to Azerbaijan. German journalists reported that he allegedly had contacts with Azerbaijan's intelligence service. Baku rejected the allegations, while German prosecutors have not confirmed any Azerbaijani involvement. In recent years, citizens of Central Asia and the South Caucasus have repeatedly been implicated in espionage and treason cases. The accused and suspects include former intelligence chiefs, military personnel, officials, scientists, and foreign nationals. Some have received lengthy prison sentences, while others remain under investigation. In many cases, information about alleged foreign intelligence connections is limited to media reports. German...

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Defense Ministry Inspection Leads to 13 Criminal Cases in Wake of Soldiers’ Deaths

Religious Freedom

Why Central Asian Governments Are Regulating Religious Life

Child Protection

Uzbekistan Considers Life Imprisonment for Child Sexual Offenses

Rule of Law

Uzbekistan Strikes Down Ten-Day Border Detention Without Court Approval

Asset Recovery

Kazakhstan Ratifies European Legal Assistance Convention as Asset Recovery Push Expands

Kazakhstan has ratified the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, in a step that could strengthen a long-running effort to obtain evidence and pursue assets held across foreign jurisdictions. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the ratification law on October 6. The 1959 Council of Europe convention requires participating states to assist in criminal cases, including gathering evidence, transmitting records, serving judicial documents, and executing certain search and seizure requests. The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers invited Kazakhstan to join on June 18, 2025. Kazakh prosecutors have said accession would provide a common legal channel with European states where...

Ukrainian Childen

Ukrainian Woman Detained in Astana at Russia’s Request

Ukrainian citizen Lyubov Rozhanska has been detained at Astana airport at Russia’s request in connection with a criminal case over an alleged attempt to abduct a child, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. She had flown from Istanbul to collect her grandson. Ukraine has called for her release and opposed her possible transfer to Russia. Rozhanska was detained on October 1 while passing through border control. She is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility in Astana, her Kazakhstan-based lawyer Riza Nurbayeva told DW. A court is expected to consider whether she should remain in custody. According to Nurbayeva and Russian...

Kashagan Oil Field

Kazakhstan Resumes Collection of $5.2 Billion Kashagan Fine

Kazakhstan has restarted enforcement proceedings to collect a 2.3 trillion tenge ($5.22 billion) environmental fine from North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), operator of the Kashagan oil field, ending a three-week procedural pause. The proceedings resumed on September 29, according to the Justice Ministry’s online enforcement database. NCOC continues to reject both the allegations behind the fine and the penalty itself, and says it is challenging them through available legal channels. Collection had been suspended on September 7 after NCOC challenged the actions of a state enforcement officer. The Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court of Atyrau Region requested the enforcement case materials,...

Counter-Terrorism

Uzbek-U.S. Citizen Extradited from Georgia on Charges of Supporting ISIS and al-Nusrah Front

Davud Ansariy, an Uzbek citizen who is also a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been extradited from Georgia to New York. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of leading a network that raised money to support ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front and helped aspiring fighters travel to Syria. Ansariy, 41, also known as Kozimjon Gafurov and Kozim, was arrested in Tbilisi in August 2026 and extradited to the United States on September 23. He faces one count of conspiracy to provide material support and one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front, both designated by...

Environment

Nuclear Safety

Kazakhstan Nuclear Emergency Center Opens With U.S. Support

Kazakhstan has opened a center to monitor radiation and coordinate responses to nuclear and radiological emergencies, with support from the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The center opened on October 2 under Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency. It will receive and analyze radiation data, facilitate information exchange between government agencies, and coordinate their actions during emergencies. The authorities also plan to train specialists and conduct practical emergency-response exercises. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer and operates nuclear research facilities. The consequences of Soviet nuclear weapons testing at Semipalatinsk continue to require monitoring and remediation. Between 1949...

Caspian Sea

Japan Funds $3 Million Caspian Sea Monitoring Project in Kazakhstan

Water Security

Opinion: Central Asia’s Old Water Bargain Was Built for Cotton

Water Governance

“Water Insecurity Is Not Experienced Equally”: Why Scarcity Is Also a Social Problem

Satellites

Kyrgyzstan Prepares to Launch Its First Homegrown Satellite

Land Restoration

Kyrgyzstan Plans to Restore Land in Syr Darya Basin

Kyrgyzstan plans to restore degraded land in the Syr Darya basin as shrinking glaciers and declining forest cover raise concerns about the future of one of Central Asia’s main water systems. The four-year project will restore at least 264 hectares in the Jalal-Abad region, mainly within the Kyzyl-Unkur and Toskool-Ata forest enterprises. More than 27,000 people are expected to benefit directly from work on damaged land, including forests and agricultural areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations will implement the project with the country’s Forestry Service, using financing from the Global Environment Facility. The work will include...

Environmental Assessment

Sea Breeze Uzbekistan Clears Second Stage of Environmental Review

The $5 billion Sea Breeze Uzbekistan project has completed the first two stages of its environmental impact assessment, receiving positive state environmental opinions for both, according to the Ecology Committee. The controversial resort is planned for the shores of the Charvak Reservoir, one of the most popular recreation areas near Tashkent. Its location has made the project the subject of sustained environmental scrutiny. Uzbekistan’s National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change said the second-stage opinion was issued on September 10. The review will continue with a final assessment planned after construction is completed and before the complex is put into...

Rogun Dam

Tajikistan Ratifies $300 Million World Bank Grant for Rogun Dam

Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament has ratified a $300 million World Bank grant for the Rogun Hydropower Plant, providing fresh financing for the country’s largest infrastructure project. The agreement was approved on October 1. The funding comes from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional financing arm for low-income countries. It will support continued construction and equipment installation, alongside safety and environmental safeguards and support for communities affected by resettlement. The World Bank approved the grant in June. Together with an earlier package, its approved financing for Rogun now totals $650 million. Tajikistan is also raising money from...

Chemical Safety

22 Uzbek Pupils Hospitalized After Cotton Field Spraying Near School

Twenty-two pupils in southern Uzbekistan were hospitalized after chemicals were sprayed on a cotton field beside their school, the Interior Ministry said. Seven remained in hospital as of September 29, while 15 had been discharged. The children, all in grades 10 and 11 at School No. 51 in Guzar district, Kashkadarya region, fell ill on September 23. They were taken to the district medical center around midday with nausea and headaches. The ministry said the Shokhmalik Shermurod Ugli farm had sprayed the nearby field at about 9 a.m. It used Agro Augron, a chemical applied to make cotton plants shed...

They Went to Russia for Work and Ended Up at War: How Central Asians Enter the Russian Military

Latest

Features

Features

Religious Regulations, Russian Rehearsals, and the TCTC’s Regional Roadblocks

Latest

Dastan: Why Are Uzbekistan’s Snipers So Good?

Religious Regulations, Russian Rehearsals, and the TCTC’s Regional Roadblocks

Dastan: Why Are Uzbekistan’s Snipers So Good?

Opinions

Opinions

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Zabikhulla Saipov

Issatay Minuarov

Timur Serikuly

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Tokayev and UK Trade Minister Discuss Investment, Energy and AI Cooperation

Oman Set to Join Eurasian Development Bank as First Gulf Shareholder

Kazakhstan Pursues Trans-Afghan Railway Routes to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan Plans Six New Earth Observation Satellites

China Accounts for Nearly Half of Foreign Direct Investment in Kyrgyzstan in 2025

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kyrgyzstan Presidential Election: What Has Changed Since 2020?

Turkmenistan Launches E-Visa System, But Questions Remain

Turkmenistan Marks 35 Years of Independence Amid Reports of Shortages

Kazakhstan Orders Military Overhaul After 14 Die in Caspian Drills

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

International Affairs

International Affairs

They Went to Russia for Work and Ended Up at War: How Central Asians Enter the Russian Military

Tajikistan and Iran Expand Visa-Free Travel

Opinion: The 2026 CAMCA Regional Forum Concludes – What’s Next?

India Says It Exported Akash Missile System to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

MrBeast to Meet Fans in Tashkent on First Central Asia Trip

Ted Kennedy’s 1978 Visit to Kazakhstan in Archival Photos

The Filmmakers Behind Kanjar on Action and Cultural Heritage

Central Asia Wins 186 Asian Games Medals as Uzbekistan Finishes Fifth

WADA Executive Committee to Meet in Astana Ahead of 2027 Anti-Doping Code

Justice

Justice

German Spy Scandal Puts Central Asian and Caucasus Espionage Cases in Focus