“Hybrid warfare is advancing at full speed”: an expert claims that Russia is already carrying out an offensive in Kazakhstan

Kazakh publicist and civic activist Arman Sharayev stated that the Kremlin is currently активно fighting for the Russian language and the church in Kazakhstan, calling it a form of hybrid warfare, Politeka reports.

He spoke about this on Rizni Liudy (“Different People”), a program hosted by Valerii Savchuk.

“The Russian language is the key element of the hybrid war that Russia is waging. It is through this language that all the propagandists broadcast. Unfortunately, in Kazakhstan we have free access to all these channels, and many people, after listening to Solovyov and others, of course perceive information through this distorted mirror. In reality, we have no restrictions — FSB-linked organizations such as Sputnik, the Russian House, and others are operating freely,” Arman Sharayev noted.

As he explains, many Kazakhs who grew up in the northern and eastern regions — where predominantly Russian-speaking populations live — did not know the Kazakh language. During Soviet times, there were only two Kazakh-language schools in Almaty. However, after independence, much has changed: in three regions there are no Russian schools left at all because there are no children to attend them.

Nevertheless, the program’s guest points out that after school all students take the Unified National Testing, where Russian is a compulsory subject. In other words, he explains, the Kremlin has waged and will continue to wage this struggle to ensure that the Russian language remains in Kazakhstan. They are even artificially supporting it by building Russian schools at their own expense, especially in the southern regions where the Russian language is being forgotten.

“The imposition is ongoing. Hybrid warfare in Kazakhstan is advancing at full speed. In Astana, for example, a huge district is currently being built that will include the largest Russian Orthodox church in Central Asia, a school, various residential buildings, and so on. In other words, it’s like an FSB branch in the heart of Astana,” Arman Sharayev concluded.