FBRK.KZ

On 20 July 2026, 55 forest fires were recorded within the territory of the state forest fund of Kazakhstan. Most of the blazes have already been extinguished, with the remaining pockets either localised or under control, preventing the spread of fire and major forest fires.

In the Kostanay region, an investigation into a criminal case concerning illegal subsoil use and unauthorised extraction of minerals has been completed. According to the investigation, industrial extraction of river sand was carried out outside the subsoil plot provided by the state. The criminal case has been sent to court.

A court in Aktau has ordered a blogger to delete a video posted on Instagram showing investigative actions and to pay compensation for moral damage to two residents of the city. The decision was made after the court ruled that the use of the victims' images without their consent was unlawful.

Holidaymakers have reported possible water contamination in Lake Burabay after swimming at the beach of one of the local sanatoriums. According to them, a sharp unpleasant smell appeared in the water, and then they noticed faeces.

Deputy Chairperson of the National Bank, Aliya Moldabekova, has been found guilty of an administrative offence for failing to comply with an order from the Supreme Audit Chamber (SAC). A court in Astana has fined her 64,875 tenge.

On 20 July 2026, two forest fires were recorded in blocks 55 and 65 of the Suburban Forestry of the Semipalatinsk branch of the state forest nature reserve 'Semey Ormany'. According to preliminary data, the area of each source is approximately 2 hectares, and the cause of the fire could have been a lightning strike.

In the Aqtogai district of the Pavlodar region, on the territory of the Aqtogai Milk LLP, an accident occurred in which 6 people died. Another man was hospitalised with moderate carbon dioxide poisoning.

The government has approved a Comprehensive Action Plan to combat the shadow economy for 2026–2028. The document sets target indicators for reducing the share of the shadow economy in GDP and provides for the introduction of digital tools to increase the transparency of economic processes.

The Government of Kazakhstan has embarked on a large-scale expansion of its oil refining industry. The country will increase the capacity of its three largest refineries and is working on plans to build a new refinery with a capacity of 10 million tonnes per year. This development comes amid repeated incidents at the marine terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).

Journalist and media expert Nazira Darimbet has been elected as the new president of the international foundation for the protection of freedom of speech "Ádil sóz". The decision was taken on 17 July 2026 at the general meeting of founders and a meeting of the foundation's Board of Trustees.