The Minister of Defence Ruslan Zhaksylykov criticised his subordinates for the increasing number of tragic incidents in the ranks of the Kazakh army.
“Until the Minister of Defence pays attention to separately deployed units, the troop command takes no measures to improve the lives of servicemen. What are we turning into? Softies? Or does being awarded the highest rank allow us to relax? Stop – have you achieved what you wanted?” – the head of the Ministry of Defence addressed his commanders.
According to Bes.media, he noted that commanders were entrusted with young Kazakhs based on their experience, yet they did not live up to that trust.
“What does society demand from us? First and foremost, it is preserving the lives of young lads,” – he emphasised.
The Minister announced a partial official non-compliance for the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defence Forces of the Armed Forces, Talgat Syzdykov.
Furthermore, a petition will be sent to the President regarding the dismissal of Nurtas Kabakov from his post as Commander of the Air Defence Forces.
It is worth noting that on the day of the Minister of Defence’s speech, information about another tragic incident in the Kazakh army spread online. The press service of the Ayagoz garrison reported that the body of an officer was found in an apartment where he lived during off-duty hours. The preliminary cause of death is suicide.
At the same time, it is reported that on 18 September, Majilisman Nartai Sarsengaliyev appealed to the Minister of Defence to take measures to stop hazing in the Kazakh army.
“We harm our own children by sending them to the army. In peacetime, our soldiers sustain various physical injuries. Some even die. These cases repeat not once, but several times. No one wants to send their children to an army where young people say goodbye to their lives. Over the past three years in Kazakhstan, 270 servicemen have died; over the past four years, 86 suicides have been recorded in the army,” – stated in the deputy’s request.
Recall, on 13 September, at the Military Institute of Land Forces in Almaty, a sergeant committed suicide. The deceased was not a cadet but a contract serviceman.
On the same day in Zhezkazgan, a company commander who was giving instructions during firearms training was wounded in the leg by a firearm.
On 7 September, in military unit N25744 of the regional command “West” in Aktau, a conscript soldier died as a result of a shot by the duty officer of the camp.
Later, a video spread online in which the father of the deceased claims that his son was shot in the face, allegedly by an officer.
Against the backdrop of the tragedy, concerned citizens created a petition calling for the abolition of compulsory military service. The authors believe that abolishing conscription in Kazakhstan is becoming relevant in light of the tragic deaths of servicemen.