Eng
Esp

Copyright © 2024 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

‘Yesterday Georgia, today Ukraine, tomorrow Kazakhstan?’ – Kazakhs respond to Moscow threats

byPaul A. Goble
11/04/2022
2 minute read
The map of Eurasia.
The map of Eurasia. Credit: deposit photo
‘Yesterday Georgia, today Ukraine, tomorrow Kazakhstan?’ – Kazakhs respond to Moscow threats

Moscow publicists, outraged Kazakhstan is not backing Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, are sending clear signals that the Kazakhs will be subject to the same treatment unless their government changes course (see Topcor.ru and Jamestown.org).

Indeed, one Russian commentator, Vladimir Prokhvatilov, pointedly entitles his article on Kazakhstan’s position regarding the war in Ukraine “What Side of the Iron Curtain Does Kazakhstan Want to Be On?”

Related: Kazakhstan plans to expand use of Caspian route to bypass Russia in trade with the West

To make his point, Prokhvatilov illustrates his article with a picture showing a Kazakh woman holding a sign reading “Yesterday, Georgia; Today, Ukraine; and Tomorrow, Kazakhstan?” and quotes a Kazakh commentator, Petr Svaik, as saying that Ukraine is an obvious “warning” to Kazakhstan that it must take seriously.

Related: Except for Belarus, all of Russia’s ‘allies’ in the EAEC and OCST have failed to support Moscow on Ukraine

What makes this kind of comment so disturbing is that it is exactly the kind that Moscow outlets featured about Ukraine earlier, including all kinds of threats to exploit the problems ethnic, economic and otherwise that that country faces. (For examples in the Kazakhstan case, see Casp-geo.ru, Topcor.ru and Ia-centr.ru).

Related: Some in Moscow and Nur-Sultan see Kazakhstan becoming ‘another Ukraine’

Moscow clearly hopes such threats will prompt the Kazakhs to demand that their government change direction, but there is a good chance, as the case of Ukraine shows, that the Russian verbiage will have exactly the opposite effect, further alienating Kazakhs from Russia and helping to complete their formation as a political nation defined at least in part by opposition to Moscow and its pretensions.

Read More:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Please leave your suggestions or corrections here



    Euromaidan Press

    We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!