{"id":50018,"date":"2026-10-25T12:36:48","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T11:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/?p=50018"},"modified":"2026-10-25T12:36:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T11:36:51","slug":"military-service-kazakhstan-conscription","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/kazakhstan\/military-service-kazakhstan-conscription\/","title":{"rendered":"In Kazakhstan, Military Service Continues to Worry Young Men"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Kazakhstan, autumn marks the return of military conscription. While some young men consider military service a duty to their country, others go to great lengths to avoid it. In Astana, accounts of forced recruitment in public places and violence in military barracks continue to fuel widespread distrust of the army.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soutien \u00e0 Novastan<\/b><\/a><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kazakhstan launched its autumn conscription campaign in September, with the government planning to call up approximately 23,000 men aged 18 to 27 by the end of December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A legacy of the Soviet era, compulsory military service remains a significant social issue in Kazakhstan, affecting young men across the country. In principle, eligible men are required to serve for one year, undergoing physical and theoretical training designed to familiarise them with military life and discipline. In practice, however, many seek to avoid conscription, employing various strategies to obtain exemptions or deferments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite conscription being compulsory, the army struggles to attract recruits, partly because of its troubled reputation. In recent years, increasingly aggressive recruitment practices have emerged, including reports of young men being forcibly taken away by police officers in public places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Violence and controversy in the army<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Novastan spoke to residents of Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, to better understand their perceptions and experiences of military service. Among those interviewed, compulsory service was generally viewed negatively, with concerns about violence and safety frequently raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I personally wouldn’t go. Every year, hundreds of young men come back injured. Some die, others commit suicide. There’s so much violence. Our country isn’t even at war, so it makes no sense,” says Jordan, a 23-year-old IT worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conscription is indeed a source of anxiety for many Kazakhstanis. Reports of deaths, injuries, bullying and suicides have contributed to a widespread perception of military service as dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read more on Novastan<\/strong>: “Inside Kazakhstan’s Army: A Harrowing Account of Violence” (in French)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the most widely discussed cases in recent years involved Mukhtar Yerebatan, an 18-year-old conscript who suffered a serious head injury during his service. After spending two years in a coma, he died on 23 June 2026, reigniting public controversy over violence within the military. According to the official account, he sustained the injury after accidentally falling in a toilet. His family disputes this explanation and suspects that he was deliberately assaulted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, the reported deaths of around ten young conscripts in an accident in the Caspian Sea intensified parents’ anger and concerns about military service, raising further questions about the army’s ability to protect those under its responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The news is terrifying. If I had a son, I would never let him join the army,” says Samal, a flight attendant and mother living in Astana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with these concerns, many young men devise strategies to avoid conscription, often with the support of their families and personal networks. Some rely on legal provisions, while others resort to connections or potentially corrupt practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those declared medically unfit are exempt from military service, while university enrolment can provide grounds for a deferment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timur, 22, a former economics and business student, says that many young men enrol at university primarily to avoid the army. He explains his own reluctance to serve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I don’t think it’s really for me. I don’t want to waste a year of my life. It’s not the right time. I have personal plans, I want to buy an apartment, travel…”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruslan, 26, a content creator who holds a PhD in anthropology, pursued higher education both out of an interest in his subject and because studying allowed him to postpone compulsory military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“After 25, if you haven’t served yet, you can avoid the one-year service by completing a 40-day military training course. You have to pay for it, but the conditions are much less harsh, and you’re treated better than during the regular one-year service,” he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘Abductions’ and forced conscription<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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With the authorities struggling to meet annual recruitment targets, the Ministry of Defence has increasingly relied on forceful recruitment methods, according to local residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some describe these practices as “abductions” or “kidnappings”, referring to cases in which police officers and military personnel reportedly take young men from public places and bring them to military recruitment offices, sometimes without a clear legal justification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timur explains that during conscription campaigns, many young men avoid public spaces for fear of being forcibly taken away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The police go to places like the botanical garden, where lots of young people hang out, including potentially those who haven’t served yet. They might also go to clubs, billiard halls or video game arcades, the kinds of places where young men usually spend time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An informal warning network has even emerged on 2GIS, a popular mapping and navigation application in Kazakhstan, allowing users to alert one another to the presence of recruitment officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users can leave comments about public locations and warn others about areas where police are reportedly carrying out conscription operations. In one message shown to Novastan by Timur, an anonymous user warns about a public garden in Astana: “Police present for conscription. They have trucks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike some of his friends, who limit their outings during recruitment campaigns, Timur has decided not to change his daily routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It would be practically impossible to keep track of every place where they might find me. A friend of mine went to a shop near his home. When he came out, they grabbed him, put him in a car and took him straight to the military recruitment office. You can get caught anywhere, but I don’t want to spend my life locked inside my house. Maybe I’ve just been lucky,” he says with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Timur has himself been picked up by police officers several times over the past two years, since leaving university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avoid being conscripted, he has relied primarily on his personal connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have friends, including some who work in government institutions. Let’s just say they have administrative resources. Whenever I called them, I was released immediately,” he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also recounts how a friend narrowly avoided military service after being taken away by the police. His father reportedly helped him enrol at a university at the last minute, allowing him to obtain a deferment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others are less fortunate and lack the financial or social resources needed to escape similar situations. Although merit-based scholarships are available for higher education, competition is fierce, and enrolling at university can be an expensive strategy for avoiding conscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘I improved in every way’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Despite the controversies surrounding military service, some former conscripts defend its benefits and consider it an important institution for the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alikhan, a 31-year-old company director who served approximately a decade ago, remembers his experience fondly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. I became a better person. It taught me a lot in terms of mental and physical discipline. Before the army, I was really skinny. I could only do three pull-ups, but when I came back, I could do twenty. I was a better runner too. I improved in every way,” he recalls nostalgically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also praises the sense of solidarity he experienced during his service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What’s interesting about the army is that you don’t know who’s who or what kind of family someone comes from. We all wear the same uniform, and there’s no hierarchy between us. If someone is struggling, you help them straight away. Everything encourages solidarity. There are no girls, no alcohol, just an all-male environment. It’s great. Some people arrive in the army without knowing why they’re there, expecting to do nothing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Alikhan, military service also plays an important role in shaping young men’s understanding of masculinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Men are weak nowadays. It’s a shame you don’t have something like this in France. Military service is like another year of school, another year of education. School and high school turn you into a teenager, but the army turns you into a man.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Timur has avoided military service himself, he acknowledges that the experience can sometimes have positive consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalls a friend who was forcibly taken away and immediately conscripted but ultimately found the experience beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The army really did him some good. He started thinking about work and what he wanted to do with his life. He had time to reflect. He told me that, yes, he got into fights sometimes, but overall, he felt he hadn’t wasted his time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When confronted with reports of violence and the army’s reputation, both Timur and Alikhan tend to downplay the risks. They argue that violence is not unique to military life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s a matter of chance. Accidents happen on the streets too,” says Timur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alikhan goes further, questioning parents who help their sons avoid conscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Parents think they’re protecting their children by helping them stay out of the army. But they don’t realise that everyday life is much harder. They’re raising boys who aren’t capable of doing anything.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Financial hardship and extortion during military service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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In contrast to Alikhan’s positive recollections, Ruslan offers a more troubling account of military life, drawing on his older brother’s experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His brother spent a year serving in the National Guard and, according to Ruslan, endured particularly harsh conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I remember that during the first six months, he asked me to send him money almost every day. I didn’t even know why he needed it so often.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the unit where his brother served, extortion and violence appear to have been common practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruslan describes an informal hierarchy among conscripts based on how long they had been serving. Seniority gave certain soldiers status and authority, which could be used to justify abusive behaviour towards newer recruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One time, he came home with a broken rib. He’d also lost one or two teeth. He never really went into detail, but I think the experience was quite traumatic for him. In any case, he always tried to spare me from having to serve. He said it was pointless and boring.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like several other Astana residents interviewed by Novastan, Ruslan and Timur favour reforming military service and moving towards a more professional army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For them, serving one’s country should be a personal choice rather than an obligation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In our culture, serving your country, dying for your faith, your homeland or your family are important values in their own right. But that commitment should come from the individual, not from someone forcing them to do it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alikhan, meanwhile, emphasises the importance of patriotism and the responsibility to defend one’s homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read more on Novastan<\/strong>: \u201cI only needed a passport\u201d : In Ukraine, Central Asian prisoners of wars caught between loyalty and regret<\/a>
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“If we go to war, I have to go. We must be ready to defend our country. I consider it my duty to my homeland. My country isn’t just the government. It’s the place where my sisters, my parents and the people I love live. Even if I don’t want to, I have to be ready to defend it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contrasting experiences of these young men illustrate the tensions surrounding compulsory military service in Kazakhstan. While some view it as an opportunity to develop discipline, solidarity and a sense of national duty, others associate it with violence, arbitrary recruitment practices and the loss of personal freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El\u00e9a Muresan,
Author for Novastan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for reading this article! If you have time, we would appreciate your feedback, either through this anonymous form or by email at editorial@novastan.org<\/em><\/a>. Thank you very much!<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Kazakhstan launches its autumn conscription campaign, many young men are going to great lengths to avoid military service. In Astana, accounts of forced recruitment, violence and abuse in the army reveal growing concerns about a system that continues to divide public opinion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2216,"featured_media":50024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,4668],"tags":[4203,470,5158],"coauthors":[5160],"class_list":["post-50018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kazakhstan","category-society","tag-human-rights","tag-kazakhstan","tag-military-service"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50018"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50026,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50018\/revisions\/50026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50018"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=50018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}