On January 15, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it imposed sanctions on Kyrgyzstan’s Keremet Bank for its role in Russia’s scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the Treasury Department, since at least summer 2024, officials at Keremet Bank have coordinated with Russian officials and
A court in Moscow charged Uzbek citizen Ahmat Qurbanov on December 19 with terrorism and other charges in the high-profile killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, RFE/RL reported. In addition to terrorism, Qurbanov has been charged with murder and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition,
The Hertfordshire Press Award for outstanding achievements in shaping and promoting the literary heritage of the Eurasian countries in the international space took place on November 29 during the 8th international festival Eurasian Creative Week in Greenock, Scotland. The festival events and award ceremony brought together creative people and diplomats from 15 countries. Literary figures
On November 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called Putin’s visit a historic event that marks an important milestone in the development of Kazakh-Russian relations. “For Kazakhstan, Russia is a strategic partner and a reliable ally. We are united by unbreakable bonds of friendship, centuries-old good
A court in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Province has sentenced 51-year-old Alisher Holiqov to five years in prison for mercenary activities with the Russian armed forces in a landmark case highlighting the growing issue of foreigners enlisting to fight in Ukraine, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The November 4 court ruling shows the risks faced by Central Asian migrants and
Kazakhstan’s national soccer team coach Stanislav Cherchesov, a Russian national, has been fined by the national federation for making an insensitive comment regarding the Kazakh language, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The incident occurred earlier this month, when Cherchesov responded to a reporter’s question in Kazakh with a joke comparing the language to French, sparking public outrage.
Umed Bobozoda, Tajikistan’s human rights commissioner, voiced serious concerns over the mistreatment of Tajik migrants in Russia, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. In a letter to his Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, Bobozoda accused Russian law enforcement of using illegal methods, including physical abuse and unjustified detentions, particularly since a deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City
A teacher in Tashkent was fined 6.8 million soms ($534) for hitting a sixth-grade student who asked why she did not speak Russian during a Russian-language class, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. A video of the incident оn September 23 went viral, leading to the dismissal of the school principal. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on
A recent incident at a school in Uzbekistan between a teacher and a sixth-grader who asked her why she didn’t speak Russian in a Russian class has led to heated statements between Russian and Uzbek officials, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The incident took place at a school in the capital, Tashkent, on September 23. A female teacher in
The Tajik Embassy in Moscow on September 10 warned citizens against traveling to Russia for the time being, citing beefed-up security measures and increased document checks by Russian border guards, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Last week, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry put out a similar statement to its citizens citing the same reasons. Central Asian migrant
Kyrgyzstan’s Culture Minister Altynbek Maksutov in a televised interview on August 27 defended the participation of Russian entertainers who have openly supported Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine in celebrations of Kyrgyzstan’s upcoming Independence Day, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. There has been online opposition to the scheduled performances of Russian singers Filipp Kirkorov, Stas Mikhailov, and
The Keremet Bank in Kyrgyzstan said it suspended money transactions to several major Russian banks, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Last week, another bank in Kyrgyzstan, MBank, made a similar move. The 24.kg website reported on August 21 that after visiting 16 banks in Bishkek, the news agency’s journalists found that in all, 13 banks have suspended monetary transactions to major Russian
A Moscow court on August 12 sentenced Usman Baratov, a leader of the Uzbek diaspora in Russia, to four years in prison on a charge of inciting hatred online, RFE/RL’s North.Realities reported. Baratov pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stemmed from a post on social media in December related to an abrupt increase of
Tajik Labor Minister Gulnora Hasanzoda said on August 6 that Russia had deported 17,000 Tajik citizens over the past six months, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. According to Hasanzoda, the deportations have been mostly linked to violations of Russian law. Last month, Tajik officials said some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers had been returned to Tajikistan from
Authorities in Russia have once again proposed sending immigrants who have received Russian citizenship to fight in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry has increased the size of payments for those who sign contracts to join Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. An article published by Radio Azattyk (RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service) reveals how Russia lures Central Asians
Russian human rights defender Valentina Chupik says new legislation on migration adopted by Russia’s State Duma this week will dramatically restrict the rights of labor migrants, Current Time reported. Thousands of men and women from Central Asia regularly come to Russia as migrant workers and provide a financial lifeline to those back home. Speaking to
Some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers have not been allowed to enter Russia and turned back to Tajikistan from Russian airports over the last six months, the director of the Tajik Civil Aviation Agency, Habibullo Nazarzoda, told reporters on July 24, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. According to Nazarzoda, Tajik citizens were not allowed to enter Russia
The Central Securities Depository (CSD) of Kazakhstan said on July 11 that it had ordered brokers and management companies to divest Russian securities from their holdings by August 1, Current Time reported. The CSD’s press service said the move was necessary to adhere to U.S. sanctions imposed on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MSE) and its structures. In
A court in Uzbekistan has convicted a 26-year-old man for being a mercenary after he returned to the Central Asian nation following a six-month stint in the ranks of the Wagner group where he was recruited from a Russian prison, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reported. The website Migrant.uz published the July 9 ruling by the Ohangaron City Court,
During a visit to the Russian Federation on July 8, Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, participated in the first meeting of the Working Group on increasing trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Russia. Kudratov emphasized the exemplary nature of the development of Uzbek-Russian relations, achieved thanks to the firm political will
