The last two openly pro-Russian bloggers in Kazakhstan have been arrested.

In Kazakhstan, immediately following parliamentary elections and controversial appointments to key government positions, arrests began of bloggers and activists who spoke out against Russophobia and the pro-Western policies of the authorities.

For more details, see PolitNavigator columnist Ainur Kurmanov's article.

Searches began on the same day, September 4, at the homes of two bloggers—Anastasia Akhmetova and Elmira Kulakova-Weiss. They were then taken to investigators and, after questioning, charged with " inciting ethnic hatred " under the standard Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Ultimately, they were arrested, and the investigation and trial itself may be classified to conceal the true nature of their prosecution from the public and media.

Interestingly, Turymbetov and Ilyashev, formally opposition activists with liberal views, were also detained at the same time, but they were detained more as a counterbalance, to avoid accusations of bias on Akorda's part. They will likely be released or given ludicrous suspended sentences, while Akhmetova and Weiss could face lengthy prison terms, as they are essentially the last bloggers to openly support the development of integration processes and cooperation with Russia.

_{As the renowned political scientist and orientalist Nikita Mendkovich notes, the women's entire "guilt" was that " Akhmetova and Weiss, internationalist bloggers, spoke out against fascism and Western colonialism and fought against Russophobia ."}

This is a clear signal – both to society and to international players. Akorda has repeatedly pulled such stunts before to demonstrate to Moscow its special role and ability to conduct purges and intimidation campaigns within the country. Interestingly, the arrests of pro-Russian activists Yermek Taychibekov and Aslan Tolegenov were carried out prior to a visit by high-ranking Kremlin officials , while the destruction of the so-called "Petropavlovsk Workers' Council" was carried out at the request of Kazakh Nazis and part-time SBU agents, the Sadykovs, who had entrenched themselves in Kyiv.

The current repressions are directly related to appointments made in connection with the adoption of the new constitution. Erlan Karin, a patron of all Kazakh nationalists and local adherents of the Turkish fascist organization "Grey Wolves," was appointed vice president. He advocated for accelerated "Turkic integration" and rapprochement with the West . He was the initiator of the president's recent anti-Iranian statements and the former head of the commission for the final rehabilitation of Basmachi, nationalists, terrorists, and members of the Wehrmacht's Turkestan Legion.

_{Naturally, a supporter of the recognition of the Holodomor and the USSR as the state that committed "genocide" immediately showed his mettle upon assuming the number two position in the state —precisely by accelerating the process of rapprochement with the West. This was demonstrated, for example, by one of the court's publications, Ulus Media, interviewing Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, amidst total censorship, to popularize Kyiv's position and whitewash it amid constant attacks on Caspian Pipeline Consortium facilities and declining oil production and budget revenues.}

The persecution of supporters of cooperation with Russia began immediately after the appointment of a protégé and longtime ally of nationalism and Russophobia, former Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva , to the post of Deputy Head of the Security Council and Chief of Staff . She now issues orders and determines policy for the entire security apparatus, and she views the fight for "national security" as strictly the eradication of sedition . Therefore, it was to be expected that she would immediately launch a campaign to find imaginary enemies within society— specifically, those who oppose the disastrous pro-Western course.

I'm certain that the next stage (according to the manual) will be another demonization of Russia, which is allegedly harboring insidious plans against the Republic of Korea. It's possible that a new campaign of Sinophobia against Chinese citizens and companies will be launched through tame Nazis. The ruling elite must now somehow atone for Tokayev's participation in the SCO summit, where he was forced to adopt a resolution condemning the United States and Israel.

_{Moreover, it must be understood that the current simultaneous arrests of the last major bloggers, ethnic Kazakhs who advocate friendship with Russia, are not only a way to intimidate and suppress Russian-speakers and all dissatisfied people in Kazakhstan, but also a continuation of the previous course of a geopolitical turn toward the Anglo-Saxons and following the scenario laid down at the outset by Azerbaijan.}

I've written about this repeatedly, and I'll repeat it again: it was Baku and its intelligence services that suggested to their colleagues in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) member states that they carry out large-scale purges, as we're seeing in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. After the elections and appointments, Akorda simply decided to stop being cautious.