On the day of the death of 14 servicemen on the Caspian the Ministry of Defence instructed that a collection of one day's pay be organised to help the families of the deceased. At the same time, the ministry confirmed that the collection is not provided for by regulations and is carried out voluntarily.
HOW THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ORGANISED THE COLLECTION OF FUNDS
According to Hronika.kz, the telegram with the instruction to organise the collection was prepared by officials of the ministry. The document was signed by the acting Minister of Defence Almaz Dzhumakeyev.
The telegram proposed that information and explanatory work be carried out among servicemen on transferring one day's pay in favour of the relatives of the deceased. Commanders were also instructed to report on the work done by 30 September 2026.
Audio messages were attached to the document, in which servicemen were asked to transfer money by a certain time and to report back with receipts. In one of the messages there was a proposal to divide the monthly pay into 30 days and transfer the resulting sum.
WHOSE ACCOUNT THE MONEY WENT INTO
In response to an official request, Deputy Minister of Defence Askar Mustabekov confirmed the authenticity of the telegram. According to him, the payment details belonged to a serviceman, Alibek T., who serves as a psychologist in military unit 29011. It was precisely in this unit that the deceased servicemen served.
The Ministry of Defence explained that the personal account was indicated for the prompt collection of voluntary donations. At the same time, the ministry was unable to state the expected volume of receipts, since each serviceman determined the amount of assistance independently.
The ministry also assured that all collected funds would be sent to the families of the deceased. The movement of money through the account is controlled by officials of the military unit and by higher command. The assistance is planned to be passed on to the relatives by transfer or in cash.
WHY THE COLLECTION WAS CALLED VOLUNTARY
The Ministry of Defence clarified that normative legal acts do not provide for such a collection. The recommendation to transfer one day's pay is of an indicative nature and does not oblige servicemen to transfer money.
At the same time, the telegram contained a requirement to report on the instruction being communicated to personnel. The ministry explained this by the need to monitor that servicemen are informed and to track the receipt of funds.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF SUCH COLLECTIONS
A former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Serzhan Arshabekov, stated that collections of one day's earnings in state and law enforcement structures of Kazakhstan were practised earlier as well. According to him, such initiatives arose after major incidents, including the explosions in Arys, the deaths of miners and fires.
Arshabekov claims that in practice formally voluntary transfers are sometimes accompanied by pressure from management. As an example, he cited collections after the deaths of miners at the enterprise ArcelorMittal Temirtau in 2024. According to him, after an appeal to the Assistant to the President, collections in law enforcement bodies ceased.
The former MIA employee also drew attention to the absence of transparent reporting on some previous collections.
CONTEXT
Let us recall, on 24 September during exercises on the coast of the Caspian Sea in the Mangystau region 17 servicemen were carried away into the sea after a sharp deterioration in weather conditions and strengthening of the wind. As a result of the incident, 14 people died.
Five officials of the Ministry of Defence system were detained on suspicion of criminal offences related to negligent attitude to service and violation of navigation rules, which led to grave consequences.
Collections of funds to help the families of the deceased and injured are being carried out through the official fund «Ұлттых рух».
Deputies of the Kurultai collected 146 million 650 thousand tenge of personal funds. Financial support for the families after the tragedy was announced by the party «Әділет», the party Respublica, members of the Қазақстан Халық Кеңесі and the Halyk Foundation.
