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Kazakhstan is facing numerous environmental problems (illustration).

Overview of environmental issues in Kazakhstan

Kamila Akhunova in the vineyard of the family estate, located a few kilometres from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. © Louise Simondet

In Uzbekistan, one family wants to support the revival of wine production

Once known for its grapes, Uzbekistan saw many vineyards destroyed after the fall of the USSR. The Akhunov family is now helping revive the country’s wine culture. Read More

How Central Asia is trying to protect the snow leopard

View of the city of Alatau, located near Almaty in southern Kazakhstan.

In Kazakhstan, the futuristic city of “Alatau” reaches a new milestone with special status

Latest news

Kyrgyz film director Tolomush Zhanybekov. Credits: Tolomush Zhanybekov.

Through roads, markets and silence: Tolomush Zhanybekov films Kyrgyzstan’s unseen lives

Aziz Shokhakimov is Uzbekistan’s first conductor in Strasbourg and has led the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021. Credits: David Amiot, via the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra website.

From Uzbekistan to Strasbourg: Aziz Shokhakimov, a conductor between cultures and languages

Members of the organisation Istiqbolli Avlod in Uzbekistan, Photo: Istiqbolli Avlod.

In Paris, an Uzbekistani NGO’s fight against human trafficking recognised with the French Republic Human Rights Prize

On 10 February, Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the GKNB for more than five years, was dismissed by presidential decree. Credit: Kabar.

In Kyrgyzstan, after the dismissal of the GKNB chief, the political-security apparatus is reshuffled

On 26 February 2026, EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan visited Bishkek to discuss compliance with sanctions against Russia with his Kyrgyz counterparts. Credit: gov.kg.

Kyrgyzstan in the EU’s sights for the twentieth sanctions package against Russia

Excerpts from the “I am a Tajik woman, and…” trend on social media.

Tajik women reveal themselves through the “I am Tajik and…” trend

Photo of the day

A land devoid of men

1 June 2026 - ldevillard

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Sex, Drugs, and Postpunk – the new album of Bishkek’s Duo Vtoroi Ka
Queer life under pressure in Kyrgyzstan
Bound by Tradition: Silent Suffering of Daughters-in-Law in Uzbekistan

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A collage consisting of a map made via mapchart.net (background); an adaptation of a photo of Russian president Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi during a recent state visit (bottom right, taken from Kremlin.ru); the VPRO logo (top left, taken from vpro.nl); and an adaptation of a photo of a caravan of camels (photo by Akua Sencherey, taken from unsplash.com).

Orientalism revisited – a very Dutch introduction to Central Asia

Random article

Central Asia: At The Crossroads – highlights from Berlin’s new regional film festival

Politics

On 26 February 2026, EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan visited Bishkek to discuss compliance with sanctions against Russia with his Kyrgyz counterparts. Credit: gov.kg.

Kyrgyzstan in the EU’s sights for the twentieth sanctions package against Russia

Lack of resources in Afghanistan undermines security on the border with Tajikistan In Kazakhstan, the futuristic city of “Alatau” reaches a new milestone with special status The story of the Xinjiang Kazakhs: silent suffering along the Belt and Road Kazakhstan to become an Unusual Addition to the Abraham Accords: Will this Diplomatic Gesture for Washington Pay Off? Dead in the Water: Has the Common Turkic Alphabet Failed to Boost Turkish Influence in Central Asia? 70 years of Xinjiang: Beijing celebrates and enacts new political doctrine

Society

Members of the organisation Istiqbolli Avlod in Uzbekistan, Photo: Istiqbolli Avlod.

In Paris, an Uzbekistani NGO’s fight against human trafficking recognised with the French Republic Human Rights Prize

Tajik women reveal themselves through the “I am Tajik and…” trend Tajikistan’s contribution to the war effort during the Second World War “Hafiz Saifullaev’s prose marks a fruitful turning point in Russian-language Tajik literature” The paradoxes of migration from Tajikistan to Russia: an interview with Dr Elena Borisova The Lexicon of Kazakh Decolonisation When Freedom of Speech Is a Joke: Author of a Satirical News Outlet Detained in Kazakhstan

Culture and Sports

Techno Party Kyrgyzstan

“If You’re Scared, You do it Scared”: How Bishkek’s Techno Scene Survives State Repression

Central Asia: At The Crossroads – highlights from Berlin’s new regional film festival Welcome the Shitheads: Bishkek band Vtoroi Ka goes on a European tour Bound by Tradition: Silent Suffering of Daughters-in-Law in Uzbekistan Sex, Drugs, and Postpunk – the new album of Bishkek’s Duo Vtoroi Ka New voices: Central Asian short films at the GoEast Festival 2024 How is Kyrgyzstan celebrating Nooruz in 2024?