In northern Kazakhstan – repressions for “separatist adherence” to the USSR
By holding a trial in Petropavlovsk against "separatists," the Kazakh authorities are not only tightening the screws, but also demonstrating their loyalty to the West by artificially whipping up Russophobic and anti-Russian sentiment within the country.
International observer of PolitNavigator Ainur Kurmanov comes to this conclusion in his new material.
On Tuesday, November 28, the verdict was read in Petropavlovsk against members of the "People's Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk," who were accused of "separatism." And the sentence ultimately proved demonstrably harsh.
Thus, the main defendant, 48-year-old auto mechanic Vyacheslav Zuderman, was sentenced to nine years in a medium-security penal colony . Three other "Sovet" activists—40-year-old Elena Boldyreva, 52-year-old Madina Kaparova, and 37-year-old Olga Berezhnova— were each given seven years in prison. Berezhnova was arrested in the courtroom despite being the mother of a minor child.
Let us recall that they were all convicted for proclaiming the "People's Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk" at a meeting in March of this year in one of the educational institutions, where they called the existing state the "Republic of Kazakhstan" Corporation and declared that they would henceforth reside on the territory of the Kazakh SSR.
This is what they were accused of, calling it “subversion of the state” and “separatist activity ,” which was reflected in the indictment.
“Thus, Vyacheslav Zuderman, Elena B., Madina K., Olga B. committed serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the state, provided for in Article 179 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (propaganda to undermine the security of the state, committed using the media or networks communications by a group of persons, production, storage and distribution of materials of such content), Article 180 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (separatist activity - propaganda to violate the integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
inviolability and inalienability of its territory, committed using the media or telecommunications networks, by a group of persons, as well as the production, storage for the purpose of distribution or dissemination of materials of such content),” noted State Prosecutor Timur Kulzhanov, reading out the indictment.
And this despite the fact that the initiators of the "Council" never spoke of secession from Kazakhstan and the creation of a separate state. In other words, they were deliberately framed for "separatism" to intimidate everyone else , especially those who dream of restoring the previous socio-political system. After all, the very idea of reviving the USSR now becomes a priori criminal.
It turns out, according to the indictment, that the statement by the chairman of the "Council," Vyacheslav Zuderman, regarding the recognition of the laws of the Kazakh SSR as valid, " testifies to his desire to return independent Kazakhstan to a federal form of government within the USSR ."
Vyacheslav Zuderman.
Adherence to Soviet federalism is now considered "proof of guilt" and a call to "separatism," which could land any supporter of that period behind bars. This effectively constitutes a judicial ban on communist ideology, and the harsh verdict itself is a direct manifestation of political repression for one's beliefs.
Another interesting fact is that the founders of the "People's Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk" actually opposed the idea of a "corporate state," which was once advocated by Benito Mussolini and later actively used by Nursultan Nazarbayev in the construction of an "independent Kazakhstan." The former Elbasy constantly referred to Kazakhstan as a "corporation" in his speeches, advocating for a ban on independent trade unions and for consolidation around a single Duce, a fact that has been repeatedly documented and published.
It turns out that the current ruling team, led by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who, after the infamous events of January 2022, proclaimed the construction of a "new and just Kazakhstan" and the rejection of the "old," not only contradicts itself but also actively defends and stands guard over the very ideas of the "corporate state" put forward by the first president.
The answer is actually simple. The pro-Western elite in Astana fears any integrationist ideas that are supported from below by broad strata of Kazakh society. Therefore, for years, rabid propaganda has been pouring out of their tame Nazis against the EAEU, calling for the country's withdrawal from the CSTO, and abandoning joint industrial plans.
The new generation is being presented with a supposed alternative in the form of the Organization of Turkic States, and the myth of the threat of "separatism" in the north of Kazakhstan and possible aggression from Russia is constantly being circulated as a scare tactic .
And the current trial in Petropavlovsk is precisely a blow to all those who support unification with Russia within the framework of integration projects, who accepted and realized the goals of the North Military District and did not succumb to the provocations of Svidomo and the propaganda of pro-Western NGOs and foundations within the Republic of Kazakhstan. And there are quite a lot of such people, and not only among Russians and Russian-speaking people, which in fact scares Akorda.
Even if such a "People's Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk" didn't exist, it would have been necessary to invent one in order to unleash a hysterical Russophobic and anti-Russian campaign within the country. After all, a pretext had to be found to suppress the dissenting voices, mobilize the nationalist electorate, and consolidate it around himself as the sole "savior of sovereignty ," demonstrating to the West that an active struggle against Russian influence was underway.
It's important to understand that this case of "separatists" in northern Kazakhstan arose immediately after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Astana, where he demanded compliance with the sanctions regime against Moscow. The trial began several days before Vladimir Putin's visit to Kazakhstan, and the verdict was handed down during the latest American inspection delegation's visit to the country.
That is, we must regard the Petropavlovsk process itself as a kind of spectacle for achieving external and internal goals in order to retain power and divert attention from the catastrophic situation in the energy sector, in the extractive industry, where miners are dying almost every day, and from the transfer of deposits of rare earth and precious metals, uranium and nickel to Western corporations under enslaving contracts and production sharing agreements.
And here, against the backdrop of mass unemployment and falling living standards, it is easiest to blame all the troubles on the “fifth column” in the form of Russians who have become potential “separatists,” and on neighboring Russia, which is to blame for both inflation and food exports, as well as for attempts to build a nuclear power plant.
In this context, the "witch hunt" campaign is expanding, and its victims are becoming ever more numerous , yet virtually no one speaks of them. After all, in addition to Ermek Taychibekov and the organizers of this "Council," other residents of Uralsk, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk, and other cities are in prison.
We've already written about the recent case of Kristina Vladimirovna Kolchenko and Denis Olegovich Rudnykh, sentenced to five years and five years and two months respectively, on fabricated criminal charges in Uralsk based on edited footage following a provocation by a Ukrainian blogger and SBU agent.
Another case has surfaced involving Valentin Tyurin from Petropavlovsk, who was also recently sentenced to five years and two months in prison for several posts discussing various topics in closed chat rooms. There are other cases about which we know virtually nothing. In fact, in the North Kazakhstan region alone, 11 people have been prosecuted for "separatist activity" over the past two and a half years.
In a situation where all "human rights associations" are pro-Western and only receive grants from American and European foundations, while hushing up these facts , it turns out that there are no lawyers, not even attorneys, ready to defend such people in Kazakhstan.
And in general, against the backdrop of such an increase in the large number of similar criminal cases for “separatism” in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which in reality are clearly fabricated by local intelligence services or even at the instigation of Ukrainian agents, is anyone from the Russian Foreign Ministry or Rossotrudnichestvo monitoring this situation?
Now among the "separatists" are Russians, Germans, Ukrainians, and even Kazakhs themselves , but such a wave of repression is actively used primarily in propaganda against Russia itself.
Isn't it time to address the fate of these people, whether officially or unofficially, even if they are citizens of Kazakhstan? Because we need to stop this series of provocations by reminding Astana of the need to maintain internal stability and stop persecuting people for their beliefs.
English version :: Read in English In northern Kazakhstan, there are repressions for “separatist adherence” to the USSR.