The FBRC editorial team continues to write about how, against the backdrop of the upcoming referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan, certain interested parties are trying in every way to influence public opinion.
Some environmentalists are actively campaigning against the construction of an NPP in Kazakhstan, justifying their point of view with the risk of a possible impending environmental catastrophe. However, certain doubts arise – how sincere are they in their concern for environmental protection?
As we have already noted, representatives of the "Socio-Ecological Fund" (SEF), one of whose founders is the environmentalist Vadim Ni, are actively opposing the development of nuclear energy in Kazakhstan.
It is known that the SEF closely cooperates with the American organisation Crude Accountability and operates the information portal "Liven. Living Asia", which originally belonged to Internews and was funded by the European Union.
In addition to public appearances, eco-activists actively express themselves on social media about the dangers of developing nuclear energy. In particular, targeted advertising of posts by certain environmentalists (i.e., paid content promotion) has gone viral on Instagram.
For example, a video about the consequences of long-term exposure to radioactive waste, developed by the portal "Liven. Living Asia", is being promoted on behalf of Vadim Ni. 
And on the page of Olzhas Duisen, a post on the topic "Why an NPP cannot be built on Lake Balkhash" is being targeted.
At first glance, the picture is banal and obvious: environmentalists are defending environmental interests, namely, ensuring the environmental safety of the population. However, the question still arises: with whose money are the eco-activists paying to promote content on social networks?
Recall, earlier we wrote about the probable coalitions into which the opponents of the NPP construction are supposedly divided. One of these is said to include those who receive funding from the USA. There is an opinion that the Americans fear that Russia will win the tender for the construction of the NPP in Kazakhstan.
The USA is one of the world leaders in the field of nuclear energy. However, the American company Westinghouse has dropped out of the list of candidates for implementing the large-scale project, and Rosatom has already become a contractor in Uzbekistan, which has likely caused some displeasure in Washington.
In September 2023, the Ministry of Finance published the so-called "register of foreign agents" - a list of persons receiving money or other property from foreign states and international organisations. The register included well-known journalists, public figures, NGOs, and little-known environmental organisations in Kazakhstan.
At that time, the FBRC editorial team suggested that Kazakhstan is of particular interest to the USA, and the appearance in the list of civil activists and environmentalists paid for by foreigners is not a coincidence, but a sign that they would soon begin to agitate the public on environmental issues.
Today it is obvious that our assumptions were correct – even at the stage of public hearings, the issue of the NPP construction received a wide response from the population. We assume that some activists and environmentalists knew even then what methods they would use to convey their views to the masses.