The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Dozens of children have been found working at markets in the southern Kyrgyz city of Manas, formerly Jalal-Abad. Police officers and social workers spoke to the children’s parents and guardians and issued warnings, Turmush reported on November 2. Nationwide, 19.6% of children aged 5–17 were involved in child labor in...

International Flights

China–Central Asia Flights Expand as Aviation Booms

Passenger and cargo links between Central Asia and China are expanding, with 117 scheduled weekly flights now connecting Kazakhstan and China, up 52% from a year earlier. Aviation officials from China and the five Central Asian countries are meeting in Tashkent on November 3–5 to discuss opening the market further....

Reshuffle

Tokayev Names Zhanassova Deputy Prime Minister in Transport Shake-Up

Tungsten

Developer of Kazakhstan Tungsten Projects Drops Merger and Plans U.S. Listing

Cove Kaz, the U.S. company developing two major tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan, has dropped its planned merger with Skyline Builders. It now plans to list its shares directly on a U.S. stock exchange in the first half of 2027. The change comes alongside a $32 million investment commitment intended to...

Road Infrastructure

Osinovsky Pass Bypass Opens in Kazakhstan After Years of Delays

A new road bypassing the Osinovsky Pass in eastern Kazakhstan opened to traffic on October 30, offering motorists an alternative to a route frequently subject to winter travel restrictions. The bypass's centerpiece is a 175-meter bridge across the Pikhtovka River, rising up to 45 meters above a gorge. The construction...

Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Resumes Oil Exports Through Russian Pipeline After Drone Attack

New NATO Base Rumours, Organised OTS Opposition, and the Future of Kazakh-Turkish Ties

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Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: Turkmenistan Takes to the Desert in Rally Cars

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Opinions

Opinion: A Deeper Understanding of Transshipment

Daniel A. Witt

Opinion: Why Agriculture Cannot Afford to Overlook Women Farmers

Viorel Gutu

Opinion: I Spent 15 Years in Government. Here Is What the State Can Learn Next

Zhandos Sabit

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

Business & Economy

Druzhba Pipeline

Kazakhstan Asks Russia to Reopen Druzhba Oil Route to Germany After Six-Month Halt

Kazakhstan has formally asked Russia to restore oil shipments to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline, six months after Moscow suspended the route. The request follows a drone attack on Russian infrastructure that briefly halted another Kazakh oil export route earlier this week. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on November 4 that he had personally delivered the request to Russian officials. Kazakhstan has the technical capacity to resume deliveries, he told reporters, and is awaiting Moscow’s response. “I personally delivered an official request in a face-to-face meeting,” Akkenzhenov said, but gave no timetable for a decision. The suspended route carried Kazakh...

Cotton Harvest

Uzbekistan Cotton Harvest Exceeds 5 Million Tons for First Time Since Independence

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Kazakhstan Seeks to Reduce Dependence on Imported Medicines with New Pharmaceutical Plants

International Flights

China–Central Asia Flights Expand as Aviation Booms

Tungsten

Developer of Kazakhstan Tungsten Projects Drops Merger and Plans U.S. Listing

Wheat Exports

Kazakhstan Wheat Exports to Israel Under Discussion

Kazakhstan’s Food Contract Corporation is prepared to discuss long-term contracts to supply between 200,000 and 500,000 metric tons of food-grade wheat to Israel. Samat Tenbayev, deputy chairman of the company’s management board, outlined the proposal during talks in Jerusalem, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture said on November 4. The ministry did not announce any signed contracts or specify whether the proposed volumes would be supplied annually or over a longer period. Israel’s wheat imports exceed 2 million metric tons a year, according to the ministry. The country also buys barley, corn, and oilseeds, and the corporation is open to discussing supplies...

Uranium Reserves

Kazakhstan Uranium Reserve Planned by End of 2027

Kazakhstan, the world’s largest uranium producer, plans to create a state strategic uranium reserve by the end of 2027 to secure fuel supplies for its future nuclear power plants. Deputy Prime Minister and National Economy Minister Serik Zhumangarin announced the deadline at a government meeting on November 3. The country’s nuclear development strategy calls for reserving at least 150,000 metric tons of uranium by 2050. Atomic Energy Agency Chairman Almassadam Satkaliyev said on November 2 that the reserve could include deposits left underground, physical stocks of natural uranium, and manufactured nuclear fuel. The government has not announced how much material...

Cost of Living

Uzbekistan Inflation: Consumers’ Estimates Exceed Official Rate

People in Uzbekistan believe prices have risen considerably faster than official inflation figures show, according to a survey by the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Respondents estimated annual price increases at 9.2% in September, compared with the official inflation rate of 6.4%. The survey covered 2,726 residents and measured their perceptions of price changes over the preceding 12 months. The nationwide estimate fell by 0.9 percentage points from 10.1% in August, according to survey data cited by economist Otabek Bakirov. Tashkent recorded the highest regional figure, at 11.9%, while pensioners nationwide put annual price increases at 12.5%, up...

Oil Transit

Kazakhstan Oil Exports: Talks With Azerbaijan on Higher BTC Shipments

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are discussing ways to increase shipments of Kazakh oil across the Caspian Sea and through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. In the first nine months of 2026, shipments from Aktau through the pipeline rose 24% year on year to 1.16 million metric tons. At a meeting in Baku on November 3, Askhat Khassenov, chairman of the management board of KazMunayGas (KMG), and Rovshan Najaf, president of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), discussed increasing oil transit through Azerbaijan, according to SOCAR. KMG said the companies were studying geological data from prospective exploration areas in both...

Local Politics

Reshuffle

Tokayev Names Zhanassova Deputy Prime Minister in Transport Shake-Up

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has replaced his transport minister and given the incoming officeholder the rank of deputy prime minister. The November 3 appointment puts Asel Zhanassova in charge of the ministry as Kazakhstan prepares a major infrastructure expansion. Zhanassova, previously deputy head of the Presidential Administration, succeeds Nurlan Sauranbayev. Her appointment decree formally combines the positions of deputy prime minister and transport minister, raising the portfolio’s standing within the government. Zhanassova becomes one of six deputy prime ministers, including First Deputy Prime Minister Nurlybek Nalibayev. The change comes less than a week after Tokayev announced plans to accelerate construction...

State of the Nation

Tokayev Unveils $14 Billion Construction Plan in Kazakhstan State of the Nation Address

Public Service

Opinion: I Spent 15 Years in Government. Here Is What the State Can Learn Next

Children’s Health

International Network Launched to Support Childhood Cancer Care in Uzbekistan

LRT

Almaty Builds New Tram Line as Residents Question Costs and Delays

Rogun Hydropower Plant

Rogun Hydropower Plant Accident Sparks Conflicting Injury Reports

A water tank ruptured in a construction tunnel at Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydropower Plant on October 21, sending water rushing toward workers below. While the authorities maintain no one was injured, witnesses have reported that more than five workers were hurt. The accident occurred inside the plant’s tunnel system, Asia-Plus reported, citing Tajikistan’s industrial safety regulator. An upper tank used to collect water ruptured, damaging a second drainage tank below it. Water from both tanks then flowed into the lower section of the tunnel, where workers from the Chinese subcontracting company Sinohydro were carrying out construction work. The regulator said none...

Republic Day

Kazakhstan Marks Republic Day as World Leaders Send Congratulations

Kazakhstan marked Republic Day on October 25 with a flag-raising ceremony in Astana and congratulations from its international partners. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the occasion to describe bilateral relations as the “strongest” in their history. “Our countries are working together to strengthen regional security, expand economic cooperation, and create new commercial opportunities which will pair Kazakh ambition with American innovation to benefit both of our nations,” Rubio said in his October 24 statement. He praised Kazakhstan’s diplomatic role and support for President Donald Trump’s “peace initiatives,” and said the U.S. looks forward to further cooperation in the...

Military Training

Kazakhstan Military Training Overhauled with New Drone Forces Planned

Less than a month after 14 service members died during military exercises in the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan has approved plans to overhaul conscript training and introduce new safeguards against abuse in the armed forces. The reform plan was approved at a Security Council meeting on October 21, with the main changes scheduled for 2027. The September 24 tragedy prompted an investigation that uncovered serious failures in the planning of the exercises and measures to protect soldiers. A wider inspection of the Defense Ministry has since led to 13 criminal cases involving suspected embezzlement, abuse of authority, and other violations. New...

Language Politics

Rubio’s Remarks Reignite Debate on Russian Language in Uzbekistan

A brief exchange between United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a Bloomberg journalist in Samarkand has revived debate over the status of the Russian language in Uzbekistan. Speaking to reporters at Registan Square on October 19, Rubio asked Bloomberg correspondent Eric Martin whether he spoke Uzbek. Martin replied that he spoke Russian fluently. "Oh, okay. That's no longer the official language here, but it's good. A lot of people speak it. I understand," Rubio said. The exchange circulated on Uzbek social media, with some foreign outlets identifying Rubio's interlocutor as a local journalist. However, a Daryo correspondent at...

International Affairs

U.S.-Central Asia Engagement

U.S. Midterms Hand Democrats a Central Asia Agenda They Helped Build

Democrats have won control of Congress in the November 3 midterms, ending President Donald Trump’s Republican majority. But they inherit a Central Asia agenda their party helped build, backed by substantial orders for American manufacturers. Uzbekistan Airways’ new Boeing deliveries are due to begin in 2031, while Kazakhstan’s $4.2 billion Wabtec agreement covers a decade. For American businesses, the region’s importance is already measured in export orders that outlast a congressional majority. American Jobs Behind the Diplomacy Kazakhstan signed its Wabtec agreement in September 2025. The U.S. Commerce Department said the Pennsylvania-based manufacturer would supply 300 heavy-haul locomotive kits over...

Defense Agreements

Russia–Azerbaijan Military Cooperation Expands Amid Baku–Ankara Tensions

Trade Routes

Iranian Foreign Minister to Visit Turkmenistan, Seeking Closer Ties

Organization of Turkic States (OTS)

Tokayev Proposes Russian Role in OTS as Aliyev Skips Ankara Summit

Water Management

Water Projects in Tajikistan: Japan Learns from a Troubled Grant

Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Resumes Oil Exports Through Russian Pipeline After Drone Attack

Kazakhstan resumed oil shipments through the Atyrau-Samara pipeline on November 3, a day after a drone attack on a Russian transit hub forced pumping to stop. The disruption again exposed the vulnerability of Kazakh exports to attacks on infrastructure beyond the country’s borders. The attack targeted facilities at the Samara Production and Dispatch Centre in Russia. Oil transportation stopped at 6:09 a.m. Astana time on November 2. “As of November 3, 2026, oil transportation through the Atyrau-Samara trunk pipeline is operating normally,” Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry spokesperson Assel Serikpayeva said. Pumping resumed after a technical inspection. The ministry reported no injuries....

Joint Investment Projects

Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev Proposes 100 Joint Projects for Turkic States

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has proposed a program for 100 joint investment and industrial projects among members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Speaking at the OTS summit in Ankara on October 30, Mirziyoyev said the “Turkic World – 100” program would support industrial cooperation and help companies from OTS countries compete in international markets. The president proposed focusing on processing rare and strategic minerals, manufacturing renewable energy equipment, and producing goods with higher added value. He suggested financing the program through the Turkic Investment Fund and international financial institutions. To protect business interests, Mirziyoyev proposed a multilateral treaty...

Organization of Turkic States (OTS)

Uzbek Diplomat Mirvokhid Azimov Appointed Secretary General of Organization of Turkic States

Uzbek diplomat Mirvokhid Azimov has been appointed Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), becoming the first representative of Uzbekistan to hold the position. The decision was made on October 30 during the organization's 13th summit in Ankara, Türkiye. Member-state leaders signed the formal appointment decision. Azimov succeeds Kyrgyz diplomat Kubanychbek Omuraliev, who had held the position since November 2022. Azimov previously served as Deputy Secretary General of the OTS from 2020 until May 2026, when Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev appointed him Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Earlier in his diplomatic career, Azimov headed Uzbekistan's foreign ministry treaty...

Border Demarcation

Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Border Fencing Complete in Batken, Demarcation Continues

Kyrgyzstan has completed the installation of nearly 328 kilometers of border fencing in the Batken region in the country’s southwest, where armed clashes with Tajikistan took place in 2021 and 2022. For some residents, the new boundary has also raised questions about compensation for lost homes and farmland. On October 29, the Batken regional administration confirmed completion of the fencing, two weeks after the State Border Service made the same announcement. During 2025–2026, 338.5 kilometers of patrol roads were built in the region’s Batken and Leilek districts, allowing patrols to reach previously difficult-to-access areas. The fencing covers part of the...

Life & Culture

University Rankings

Kazakhstan’s Top Three Universities Slip in QS Asia Rankings

Kazakhstan remained the only Central Asian country with universities in the top 100 of the latest Asian rankings from higher education analysts Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), although all three of its leading institutions fell. In the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, released on November 3, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University fell from 38th to 46th, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University slipped from 61st to 62nd, and Satbayev University dropped from 79th to 89th. Kazakhstan’s representation rose from 44 to 51 universities, putting it 10th in Asia by number of institutions listed. The rankings covered 1,722 universities from 26 countries and territories,...

Football

Asian Cup Postponement Delays Central Asian Football Hopes

Museum Conservation

Central Asian Museum Experts Visit U.S. to Study Heritage Preservation

Asian Film Festival

Central Asian Cinema Showcased at Asian Film Festival Barcelona

Kazakh Cinema

Kazakh–Korean Action Film KESU Sets Sights on South Korean Cinemas

Food Poisoning

Kazakhstan’s Youth Soccer Players Hospitalized After Suspected Food Poisoning in Tashkent

Six children and two adults in a youth soccer delegation from Kazakhstan remained hospitalized in Tashkent on November 4 after a suspected food poisoning outbreak during an international tournament. Kazakhstan’s embassy in Uzbekistan said they were in stable condition and that 10 other patients had been discharged. The group had traveled from the Karaganda region for the Dostlik Cup 2026. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health said members of the group ate eggs with partially cooked yolks and sausages for breakfast at their hotel on November 1. Thirteen people developed vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever later that day, and seven others...

News Consumption

Telegram Leads News Consumption in Uzbekistan, but Television Remains Most Trusted

Telegram channels are Uzbekistan’s most widely used news source, but television remains the most trusted, a national survey has found. The study, presented by the Mass Media Foundation in Tashkent on November 2, found that 51.6% of respondents used Telegram channels for news. Television followed at 44.6%, while 41.6% used social media. Trust followed a different pattern. Television was the most trusted source for 44.3% of respondents, compared with 11.3% for Telegram channels and 7.4% for news websites. The findings also show demand for more reliable reporting and greater attention to everyday problems. Some 41.3% of respondents said they lacked...

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 Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team looks at OTS cooperation, Azerbaijan President Aliyev's decision not to attend the OTS summit in Ankara, and the Middle Corridor....

Public Apology

Sacha Baron Cohen Apologizes to Kazakhstan After Reviving Borat

Twenty years after Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen has apologized to the people of Kazakhstan. The apology became public just weeks after he used the character to promote another film. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, released October 26, he said, “I want to apologize to the people of Kazakhstan for the first time ever.” He acknowledged that Kazakhstan’s original objections were justified and that Borat’s appearance and accent bore no resemblance to its people. He explained that earlier versions of the character had been Albanian or Moldovan. Kazakhstan was eventually chosen because audiences knew so little about it. His real...

Justice

Gas Safety

18 Dead in Suspected Carbon Monoxide Poisonings in Uzbekistan

Eighteen people died in three suspected carbon monoxide poisoning incidents in Uzbekistan between October 25 and November 1, prompting warnings about dangerously modified gas boilers being sold as new. On October 25, seven members of one family died in the village of Chimyon in the Fergana region. On November 1, another five people died in Kokand, including three girls aged seven, three, and one. An initial inspection of the Kokand home found a disconnected exhaust pipe on the gas boiler. In Tashkent, six people were found dead in a house under construction on October 25, and two others were hospitalized...

Data Breaches

Hackers Walk Back Claim of Uzbekistan Data Leak Affecting 27 Million

Child Labor

Child Labor in Kyrgyzstan: Poverty and Gaps in Enforcement

Russia's War in Ukraine

Tajik Prisoners in Russia Say They Face Pressure to Fight in Ukraine

Oil Arbitration

Kashagan Arbitration: Tribunal Rejects $12 Billion in Kazakhstan’s Claims

Victim Compensation

Kazakhstan Victims Compensation Fund Pays Out Just 9% of Revenue

Kazakhstan’s Victims Compensation Fund has collected more than 9.3 billion tenge ($20.6 million) over eight years but paid out only about 9% of that amount to crime victims. Snezhanna Imasheva, a member of the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s unicameral parliament, has proposed increasing compensation payments or expanding eligibility. On November 4, Imasheva submitted a parliamentary inquiry to the prosecutor general and the ministers of internal affairs and finance. She cited Finance Ministry figures showing that around 5,500 victims had received just over 855 million tenge ($1.9 million) by July 2026, while approximately 8.5 billion tenge ($18.8 million) remained in the fund. The...

Cybercrime

Kazakhstan Proposes UN Cybercrime Center in Astana

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed establishing a regional center of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Astana to combat cybercrime across Eurasia. The proposal includes specialist training and the sharing of information on cyber threats and investigative practices. Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov presented the plans at a cybercrime conference in Astana on November 4. The ministry said delegates from 27 other countries attended and that United Nations leadership had supported the initiative in principle. Sadenov cited online fraud, in which a suspect and a victim can be in different countries while stolen money passes through accounts in...

Extremism

Kazakhstan Detains Ten Over Alleged Plot to Change Constitutional Order

Kazakhstan's security service has detained ten people in the western city of Atyrau over an alleged plan to change the constitutional order by force. Investigators also say the suspects operated three underground educational centers for children and teenagers. The National Security Committee (KNB) announced on November 2 that the arrests took place on October 30. The operation was coordinated with the prosecutor's office, and all ten suspects were detained simultaneously. Investigators suspect the detainees of creating, leading, or participating in an extremist group. The allegations also include promoting terrorism and inciting religious discord. According to the KNB, the group sought...

School Violence

School Bullying in Kazakhstan: Prosecutors Propose New Deputies to Protect Students from Violence

In schools across Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region, children told visiting inspectors about beatings, extortion, and threats. Some described incidents involving brass knuckles and stun guns. But reports from those same schools recorded no bullying. The scale of the problem was exposed in October 2025, when Kazakhstan’s commissioner for children’s rights, Dinara Zakiyeva, published the findings of inspections across the region. An interagency team identified more than 200 cases of bullying and extortion in the Baizak and Zhambyl districts alone. During the first nine months of that year, 14 suicides involving minors were recorded in the region. Prosecutors have introduced the position...

Environment

COP31

Opinion: What is on the agenda for Central Asia at COP31?

The 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP31, is taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20. Delegations from almost 200 countries will participate in the event, including all the Central Asian republics, but Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan will play an outsize role in coordinating their messaging and ensuring the regional environmental agenda gets the time it needs in the spotlight. The buzzword for the C5 in Türkiye is “cooperation.” Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will host a meeting for Central Asia’s five environmental ministers at its national pavilion to discuss regional cooperation and...

Tiger Reintroduction

Kazakhstan Tiger Reintroduction: Second Amur Tiger Released into the Wild

Pasture Management

Kyrgyzstan Pasture Restoration Plan Includes 7,200 Kilometers of Road Repairs

Cotton Harvest

Uzbekistan Cotton Harvest Reaches 4.63 Million Tons as Water Losses Persist

Nature protection

New $8 Million Central Asia Conservation Program to Protect Rare Wildlife

Waste-to-Energy

Chinese Firm Proposes $95 Million Kyrgyzstan Waste-to-Energy Plant

A subsidiary of the state-owned China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP) is considering a $95 million waste-to-energy plant in southern Kyrgyzstan. CECEP Environmental Protection’s proposal comes as Chinese companies play a growing role in turning municipal waste into electricity and heat in the country. Company representatives discussed the proposal on November 3 with Ravshanbek Sabirov, director of the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. The proposed complex would initially process 800 metric tons of waste per day, equivalent to 292,000 tons annually if operated continuously. Capacity could eventually rise to 2,000 tons per day....

Nature Reserve

Kazakhstan Tree Planting Drive Faces Wildfires and Low Survival Rates

In late October, as firefighters battled forest fires in three regions of Kazakhstan, authorities announced a 300 million tenge (approximately $660,000) project, funded by state-owned Samruk-Kazyna, to restore pine forests in the Semey Ormany nature reserve in the country's east. The project involves planting three million pine seedlings across 762 hectares. Three years earlier, a wildfire swept through approximately 60,000 hectares of the reserve. Fourteen forestry workers died, while authorities also counted a local tractor driver who went to help fight the blaze as a 15th victim. Experts estimate that the wider ecosystem could take at least 70 years to...

National Parks

Kyrgyzstan Plans to Expand Protected Natural Areas

Kyrgyzstan plans to expand its protected natural areas under a draft strategy for 2026–2035. The expansion would bring additional high-altitude glaciers, rocky mountain areas, and state forest lands under protection. The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision released the document for public consultation on October 26. An accompanying explanatory note proposes increasing protected land from 11.8% of the country’s territory to 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2035. However, another section of the strategy sets 2030 as the deadline for reaching 30%, leaving the intended timetable unclear. Kyrgyzstan’s protected natural areas currently cover approximately 2.36 million hectares. The...

Snow Leopard Conservation

Kyrgyzstan Opens Snow Leopard Research and Rehabilitation Center

A research and rehabilitation center for snow leopards, named Ak Ilbirs, opened on October 23 in Kyrgyzstan. The facility, located in the village of Ananyevo on the shores of Issyk-Kul, will study snow leopard behavior and support efforts to increase the animals' numbers. The opening coincided with International Snow Leopard Day. Russia's Republic of Tatarstan helped establish the center; its leader, Rustam Minnikhanov, attended the ceremony alongside Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliyev. Snow leopards inhabit mountainous regions across 12 Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the species as vulnerable, with their numbers threatened...

Kazakhstan Asks Russia to Reopen Druzhba Oil Route to Germany After Six-Month Halt

Latest

Features

Features

New NATO Base Rumours, Organised OTS Opposition, and the Future of Kazakh-Turkish Ties

Latest

Dastan: Turkmenistan Takes to the Desert in Rally Cars

New NATO Base Rumours, Organised OTS Opposition, and the Future of Kazakh-Turkish Ties

Dastan: Turkmenistan Takes to the Desert in Rally Cars

Opinions

Opinions

Daniel A. Witt

Viorel Gutu

Zhandos Sabit

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Zabikhulla Saipov

Issatay Minuarov

Timur Serikuly

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Asks Russia to Reopen Druzhba Oil Route to Germany After Six-Month Halt

Kazakhstan Wheat Exports to Israel Under Discussion

Kazakhstan Uranium Reserve Planned by End of 2027

Uzbekistan Inflation: Consumers’ Estimates Exceed Official Rate

Kazakhstan Oil Exports: Talks With Azerbaijan on Higher BTC Shipments

Local Politics

Local Politics

Tokayev Names Zhanassova Deputy Prime Minister in Transport Shake-Up

Rogun Hydropower Plant Accident Sparks Conflicting Injury Reports

Kazakhstan Marks Republic Day as World Leaders Send Congratulations

Kazakhstan Military Training Overhauled with New Drone Forces Planned

Rubio’s Remarks Reignite Debate on Russian Language in Uzbekistan

International Affairs

International Affairs

U.S. Midterms Hand Democrats a Central Asia Agenda They Helped Build

Kazakhstan Resumes Oil Exports Through Russian Pipeline After Drone Attack

Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev Proposes 100 Joint Projects for Turkic States

Uzbek Diplomat Mirvokhid Azimov Appointed Secretary General of Organization of Turkic States

Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Border Fencing Complete in Batken, Demarcation Continues

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Kazakhstan’s Top Three Universities Slip in QS Asia Rankings

Kazakhstan’s Youth Soccer Players Hospitalized After Suspected Food Poisoning in Tashkent

Telegram Leads News Consumption in Uzbekistan, but Television Remains Most Trusted

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

Sacha Baron Cohen Apologizes to Kazakhstan After Reviving Borat

Justice

Justice

18 Dead in Suspected Carbon Monoxide Poisonings in Uzbekistan