In January–August 2026, 261 military criminal offences were registered in Kazakhstan, and their victims were 363 people. Both figures were the highest since 2020, even in comparison with data for full years.
WHAT THE STATISTICS FOR EIGHT MONTHS SHOWED
According to Finprom.kz, citing the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Records of the Prosecutor General's Office, the number of registered military criminal offences over eight months rose by 1.5 times compared with the same period in 2025. Since 2023, the figure has increased every year.
The number of military criminal offences under consideration was 309 — 48.6% more than a year earlier.
At the same time, a detailed breakdown by articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan for January–August has not been published in full. Of the 261 registered offences, information on individual elements is provided for only 47 cases.
WHICH OFFENCES WERE RECORDED MOST OFTEN
More detailed data is available for January–July 2026. Over this period, the number of registered cases of hazing, or dedovshchina, rose by 37% — to 74.
There were 88 instances of abuse of power, compared with 49 a year earlier. The increase was 79.6%. Negligent attitude to service was registered in 16 cases, a third more than the figure for January–July 2025.
In addition, over seven months, 8 violations of the statutory rules for performing internal service or patrolling in a garrison were recorded, along with 5 cases of abuse of power and 2 instances of failure to act by authorities.
WHO MOST OFTEN BECAME A VICTIM
Over eight months of 2026, 363 people became victims of military offences. Compared with January–August 2025, their number increased by 2.5 times.
More than half of those affected are consistently Kazakhstanis under the age of 20. In 2020, there were 42 people, or 57.5% of the total number of victims. In January–August 2026, the figure reached 256 people, or 70.5%.
In addition, over this period, 8 military offences resulting in the death of victims were registered in Kazakhstan. At the same time, these data cover only the period up to the end of August and do not include the tragedy that occurred on 24 September during naval exercises in the Mangystau region.
WHAT DATA IS AVAILABLE ON SUICIDES
In January–July 2026, six servicemen committed suicide: three contract servicemen and three conscripts. In all six cases, the reasons remained unknown.
Another three servicemen attempted suicide. Among the stated reasons were loneliness, a difficult financial situation and, in one case, a conflict with a spouse.
Statistics show that every year in the Kazakh army, between 10 and 20 servicemen die from suicide, while between 5 and 12 people attempt suicide.
CONTEXT
On 24 September, during exercises on the coast of the Caspian Sea in the Mangystau region, 17 servicemen were carried out to sea after a sharp deterioration in weather conditions and strengthening wind. As a result of the incident, 14 people died.
On 25 September, five officials in the Ministry of Defence system were detained on suspicion of criminal offences related to negligent attitude to service and violation of navigation rules, resulting in grave consequences.
On 27 September, Dauren Kosanov was released from the post of Minister of Defence. The new minister became Aidoss Myrzakhmetov, who had previously commanded the Special Operations Forces.
On 5 October, the Commission for a Comprehensive Review of the State of Affairs in the Ministry of Defence reported the first results of the review to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Following the first stage of the review, 13 criminal cases were opened, and a pre-trial investigation continues into the facts of criminal negligence by the command staff.
