2025 shows the Kolsai Lakes National Park in Almaty Region People ride horses in the Kolsai Lakes National Park in Almaty Region A tourist poses for photos in the Kolsai Lakes National Park in Almaty Region 2025 shows a view of the Kolsai Lakes National Park in Almaty Region A Sudanese student named Amir began studying at a university in Almaty just a few months before rival military factions in his country launched a devastating civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 10 million to flee their homes the war was the beginning of an extended period of uncertainty during which he faced financial problems worried about his displaced family back home unsuccessfully applied for refugee status in Kazakhstan feared deportation to Sudan and even faced the possibility of living in limbo in the Almaty airport a Kazakh human rights group said the situation of the Sudanese man had been “conditionally resolved positively for the moment” because authorities let him fly to an unspecified country that has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) a non-governmental group that was founded in 1993 The group did not provide his surname but posted photos of the young man on Facebook It thanked Almaty airport officials for helping to resolve difficult issues as well offices of UNHCR The relative improvement in Amir’s situation follows a state of limbo whose roots lie in the war between the Sudanese military and a militia called the Rapid Support Forces the latest episode of violence in a country that has experienced multiple coup attempts over the decades The latest fighting set off a humanitarian crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing and war crimes Amir “tried to obtain refugee status in Kazakhstan the country grants that status only in extremely rare cases,” said the human rights group KIBHR which helped the Sudanese students with his unsuccessful appeals of the Kazakh court ruling against him so concerned individuals raised money for a ticket to Rwanda — one of the few countries Sudanese citizens can enter without a visa,” KIBHR said something went wrong: they didn’t even take his documents for review and immediately deported him from the airport back to Qatar through which he had traveled en route to Rwanda.” where authorities prepared to send him back to Qatar But an airline refused to fly him to Qatar leaving him stranded in Almaty and facing the possibility of deportation to Sudan “What saved the situation was the concern that Amir might harm himself during the flight or his condition might seriously deteriorate he was allowed to fly to one of the countries (not specified) that still has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals and he was admitted there,” the human rights group a Palestinian man lived at the Almaty airport for an extended period because the law didn’t allow him to get refugee status and he didn’t have a visa to travel anywhere else The man’s limbo was reminiscent of the 2004 movie The Terminal which stars Tom Hanks as a man who gets stuck at New York’s JFK airport after there is a military coup in his home country there are 646 refugees or asylum-seekers in Kazakhstan The Kazakh government provides information about how to apply for refugee status We’re really happy to announce that this October we’ll be performing in Istanbul (Turkey) It’s been too long since we’ve played in Istanbul Even more special is our debut in Chisinau and Almaty – these moments are going to mean the world to us Tickets for these shows go on sale Wednesday, April 30 @ 14:00 CET and will be available at eventation.pro/sabaton you’ll be the first to know when new Sabaton music and tour tickets are available We will also contact you from time to time about new merchandise Our new song “Templars” is now available on all music streaming services & YouTube in co-operation with the Centre for Arms Control and Inspection Support and the Kazakhstan Peace Operations Centre (KAZCENT) of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and with the support of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized a three-day international seminar in Almaty to enhance understanding and implementation of the Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures The seminar brought together 52 military officers and experts (5 women and 47 men) from Azerbaijan as well as representatives from the OSCE Secretariat's Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat Experts from Verification Centres of various participating States of the OSCE shared their practical experience in organizing and conducting inspections and evaluation visits under the Vienna Document framework The seminar included in-depth presentations interactive group work simulating inspection scenarios and a field visit to the 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade in Konayev city offering participants a practical perspective on transparency measures in action The programme highlighted Kazakhstan's proactive role in implementing the Vienna Document 2011 as well as promoting regional co-operation in Central Asia and the OSCE region as a whole "Peace is not established through treaties alone but is maintained through transparency and trust These are precisely the two values that the Vienna Document puts into practical application," said Yuri Fenopetov Acting Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana holding such seminars is not only a contribution to regional security but also a platform for dialogue among representatives of the armed forces of Central Asia and neighbouring regions Our aim is not merely to discuss the Vienna Document but to strengthen it as a living mechanism of co-operation," he added The Vienna Document 2011 remains an important instruments within the OSCE politico-military dimension aimed at enhancing transparency and reducing the risk of military conflict through the exchange of information The seminar is part of the Office's broader efforts to support confidence- and security-building measures and promote stability and trust across the OSCE area This report analyses the sixth meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China and the Central Asian republics and situates it within the broader geopolitical contest unfolding across Eurasia The forum highlighted Beijing’s growing influence in Central Asia a region traditionally under Russia’s sway but now attracting competition from the EU China’s aim to solidify its regional power through planned dialogue and infrastructure projects demonstrates a long-term strategy Understanding these developments is critical as Central Asia becomes a theatre for a “New Great Game” balancing traditional hegemonies with emergent actors Held in Almaty on April 26, 2025 the sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting preceded the second “Central Asia-China” summit Chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi the meeting convened the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan The agenda encompassed high-level political dialogue The People’s Republic of China reaffirmed its commitment to building a “community of common destiny” with Central Asia a key element of President Xi Jinping’s geopolitical strategy The discussion underscored the goal of boosting trade and economic ties with China-Central Asia trade hitting a record $95 billion in 2024 Although China and Kazakhstan target $66.4 billion in bilateral trade inconsistencies remain in trade measurement methods confirm a multifaceted approach to strengthening government and citizen relationships between the two countries China reaffirmed support for Uzbekistan’s digital economy and Kyrgyzstan’s infrastructural integration Beijing clearly designed these engagements to build both individual and collective reliance on itself as an economic patron and political partner The timing of the VI China–Central Asia ministerial meeting is not coincidental It comes after a series of regional diplomatic initiatives clearly indicating a growing geopolitical struggle for influence in Central Asia In early April 2025 Samarkand hosted the first-ever EU–Central Asia summit confirming Brussels’s strategy to enhance its influence in a region where its footprint is historically limited The EU aims to diversify its energy sources Russia, viewing Central Asia as part of its blizhnee zarubezhe (near abroad), convened its own ministerial meeting with Central Asian states in March 2025 in Almay Moscow views the region as a crucial buffer part of its lebensraum (vital space) and economic resource especially via the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) The Ukraine conflict and global economic slowdown Turkey, invoking linguistic, cultural, and historical affinities, continues its institutional and symbolic engagement via the Organisation of Turkic States. Despite fewer resources than Beijing, Ankara showed its commitment to cultivating pan-Turkic sentiment at the recent Tashkent conference Despite strategic distractions and commercial rivalry with China the United States maintains a significant presence in Central Asia via soft power particularly in governance reform and counterterrorism China might merge its economic and political presence in Central Asia through high-level summits and flagship projects such as the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan transport corridor Beijing might institutionalise its influence in the region by creating permanent regional forums and promoting governance models that favour its interests This could strengthen the Chinese influence on regional decisions limiting the ability of others to act independently China’s ascendancy will not go unchallenged soft power together form a geopolitical mosaic Central Asian nations will remain committed to a multi-faceted foreign policy using international engagement to strengthen their independence Beijing’s major challenge is to grow without upsetting its neighbours or overstretching its economy understanding the recalibration of power in Central Asia is essential to anticipating future alignments and contestations in this pivotal Eurasian corridor *Cover image: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi (Credits: Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 Contact us at info@specialeurasia.com to learn more about our consulting services and tailored reports on Central Asia Don’t Miss Our Next Course in Geopolitical Intelligence Analysis This is the SpecialEurasia online course designed for professionals and investigators aiming to enhance their ability to produce geopolitical forecasting and risk assessment reports Testata giornalistica registrata presso il Tribunale di Cagliari n 54/2025 del 09/01/2025 ©2024 All rights reserved or the rustic dwellings of Tolkien’s Middle-earth is set in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains This house is nestled into Almaty’s naturally breathtaking landscape The couple that occupies this house conceived it sustainably with the help of a construction team and interior designer the house’s inspiration lies entirely elsewhere with the help of a hand-picked construction team and an interior designer but that represents only a fraction of their talents: Mazhitova has since turned entrepreneur while Radostovets is also a builder and inventor The couple has even built a factory that specializes in geosynthetic materials Many of these creative strands proved vital when Radostovets had a radical idea: to build a cob house from scratch Both the color palette and shapes represent the Kazakh couple’s organic design philosophy Cob houses are an ancient form of adobe construction used all over the world constructed primarily from locally sourced natural materials such as clay generating little waste and possessing natural insulation properties that reduce energy consumption they can be quick to build: the initial plan was for this home to be constructed over three months “Vladimir bought several books on cob construction and began studying the subject,” remembers Mazhitova as the house transformed into an art piece that we sculpted which the Radostovets designed for the family spaces they were living in another log cabin–style house they had previously built on the same site and the cob house has evolved alongside their family “We drew inspiration from nature’s organic forms aiming to integrate the house seamlessly into the landscape rather than imposing an artificial structure upon it.” where edible herbs and other botanicals are grown The inspirations for the one-story dwelling’s undulating forms and rippling roofline were ocean waves and desert dunes “The space transitions organically from one room to another—there are no thresholds cohesive organism.” The building is arranged almost like a medieval hall a family relaxation zone on one side and a sleeping area and bathhouse on the other; each of the five inhabitants has their own bedroom and bathroom There’s not a sharp angle to be seen anywhere The material used to construct the house is highly durable Skylights were a solution given the one side of the house built into the side of the mountain windows and curtains were able to be installed Decorative recesses also function as careful disguises for embedded lighting The design was conceived by sketching shapes on paper “Then we outlined the walls on site with stones from the river that flow through the property,” explains Mazhitova but sculpting the interior proved to be a long “One challenge was that the house is embedded into the mountainside We solved this by putting skylights in the ceiling and decorative recesses in the corridor to create the illusion of windows.” A further run of windows is embedded below the roofline which is painted and wax-coated for a matte did not permit the hanging of normal lights and curtains; instead “Cob walls do not tolerate nails or heavy attachments so we designed a bespoke macramé curtain system using branches as curtain rods,” adds Mazhitova Lighting was also installed ingeniously behind beams Wood details throughout the home are in part provided by fir trees toppled nearby We incorporated all four natural elements—there are three fireplaces the structure is made of earth and the sound horns represent air It’s a house where conflict seems impossible Mazhitova and Radostovets worked with interior designer Elena Plaskina to ensure that all the furnishings were “as comfortable as they were visually harmonious,” cladding many pieces in karagach wood “It’s durable and has a beautiful grain,” says Mazhitova The house’s smooth backdrop was softened with natural neutral textiles: primarily Belarusian linens and Turkish cottons as well as rugs and hanging baskets by local artisans Sound horns are both free-standing and built into the cob house In a home where every element is handcrafted each one unique in shape and size; a long time was spent deciding on the wall colors which were eventually calibrated to evoke “sand and cliffs.” The couple’s own expertise in geomaterials came in handy for the roof which was constructed using a waterproof recycled-plastic membrane topped with earth and a grid-like reinforcing layer this helps the house blend into the landscape and allows vegetation to grow in the form of a hydroponic wall beside the kitchen “The idea was to grow edible herbs and reinforce the home’s cyclical ethos,” says Mazhitova “We designed the water circulation system to sustain the plants efficiently.” Perhaps the most striking feature of all is a series of massive sound horns that Radostovets designed for the family spaces “They produce an extraordinary sound—we’ve positioned a screen and projector beneath them in the lounge so we can watch films,” enthuses Mazhitova There are also custom-made speakers in the bathrooms for a multi-sensory experience The building continues to evolve and is as much a symbol of a shared journey as it is a home Mazhitova sees it as a place to “escape the chaos of modern life” and reconnect with nature “We incorporated all four natural elements—there are three fireplaces the structure is made of earth and the sound horns represent air,” she muses “It’s a house where conflict seems impossible.” This Cob House was originally published in AD Middle East Not a subscriber? Join AD for print and digital access now Affordable Housing in America Through Three People’s Eyes Inside a Party With The White Lotus Cast at a Storied Beverly Hills Home Mark D. Sikes Brings All-American Optimism Home With Pottery Barn Amy Astley’s Entertaining Essentials The Best Airbnbs in Istanbul Are Historic Gems Inside an Italianate-Style New Orleans Mansion That Channels Parisian Glamour Jennifer Aniston’s Houses: Inside the Friends Star’s Multimillion Dollar Real Estate Portfolio This 850-Square-Foot Brooklyn Heights Apartment Is the Epitome of Romance Meet Ficus Interfaith, Two Rising Stars Making Art Furniture From Everyday Refuse Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the best of design in your inbox. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Kazakhstan’s biggest city is ready to win over APAC’s MICE planners The former capital is now positioning itself as a dynamic up-and-coming destination for business events and incentive travel in the region During its debut at The Meetings Show Asia Pacific (TMS APAC) 2025 the Almaty Tourism Bureau introduced the city’s rich tourism assets and distinct cultural charm to MICE planners from across the region At the heart of their showcase: Almaty’s world-class hospitality and a slate of high-profile international events lined up through 2026 At the Almaty Tourism Bureau booth at TMS APAC 2025 the team highlighted the city’s wide selection of 4- and 5-star international brand hotels and growing collaboration with local DMCs to support seamless event execution Almaty offers experiences that can’t be replicated elsewhere The city offers a wide range of adventure and sports activities: skiing and ice skating at the highest-altitude ice rink Medeu – all just 20 minutes from the city centre,” said an Almaty Tourism Bureau spokesperson “We’re positioning Almaty as a regional hub for international business events,” the bureau shared noting increasing investment in partnerships and destination marketing in key APAC markets “We also plan to actively build partnerships with professional associations and international organisations to submit bids and bring large forums Almaty’s transformation into a MICE hub is backed by tangible infrastructure and event development Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture and the Almaty Museum of Arts high-ceilinged venue ideal for exhibitions and creative events UN Tourism Conference on Women’s Empowerment in Tourism Kazakhstan International Exhibition "Tourism & Travel" World Forum of Central Securities Depositories (WFC) with over 200 delegates from 135 countries one of the largest global gatherings in travel blogging and digital tourism – marking another milestone in the city’s rise as a global events destination and expertise across five MICE-ready cities all connected by the Taiwan High-Speed Rail How event planners can transform the pricey into priceless in premium cities Watch on YouTube Watch on YouTube READ NOW READ NOW Copyright © 2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd, 91 Bencoolen Street #04-08, Singapore 189652, Contact number: +65 6801 0450 You can return to this list any time via the navigation menus at the top of the page. Actresses perform dance during a festival celebrating Kazakhstan's National Unity Day in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on May 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) A vendor prepares pilaf during a festival celebrating Kazakhstan's National Unity Day in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on May 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) People watch performance during a festival celebrating Kazakhstan's National Unity Day in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on May 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) A vendor sells ice cream during a festival celebrating Kazakhstan's National Unity Day in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on May 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) Aerials World Cup heats up on Almaty snowFeb 27 2025·FreestyleA select group of athletes could secure a Crystal Globe in Almaty Photo: Andrey KulaginThe snow has barely settled from Beidahu but there is no time for skiers to take their foot off the pedal as the World Cup circuit moves to the next stop on the horizon there is understandably more attention on where the Crystal Globes are leaning this season This stage of the competition is prime time for athletes to lock in their positions on the Cup standings There are some whose consistent showing all season means they could secure a Crystal Globe in Almaty even before World Cup competition moves back to Europe for the final showing is in red-hot form as she continues her winning streak Her last victory in Beidahu was her fifth in a row With six wins out of 10 podium finishes so far this season it is no surprise Kauf leads the Dual Moguls and Overall standings coming into Almaty The women’s competition this season has mainly been a tussle between Kauf and Perrine Laffont (FRA) The ever consistent Laffont leads in Moguls and is a mere 26 points behind in Overall Moguls But with the Frenchwoman absent from Kazakhstan Almaty will be a chance for Kauf to build on her standing Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) has once again positioned himself as the one to beat after chalking up six wins this season The Canadian can also possibly wrap up the chase for the Crystal Globe in Kazakhstan but will have to fend off Ikuma Horishima (JPN) The owner of the blue bib is currently second to Kingsbury in all three standings Qi Guangpu (CHN) could be rewarded for his consistency and retain his Crystal Globe early The 2022 Beijing Olympic champion is being buoyed by his back-to-back wins in Lac-Beauport last month and also has a second-place finish most recently at Beidahu Laura Peel (AUS) is top of the table with 342 points after a string of three wins in North America But she is just 58 points ahead of Xu Mengtao (CHN) who missed the Deer Valley competition in favour of the Asian Winter Games held at home Competition will begin on Friday with Moguls Women’s Qualifications start at 09:30 local time preliminary rounds for Dual Moguls start at 11:45 with Women’s Qualifications starting at 09:15 while Men’s Qualifications will be at 11:45 TV broadcasts will be available for fans to follow the action live while there will also be live streaming on FIS TV Here are the links and information about geo-restrictions –  Women’s Qualifications Men’s Qualifications Finals Preliminary Rounds Finals Women’s Qualifications Men’s Qualifications Finals Please note that due to broadcasting rights restrictions live streaming availability may be limited in certain regions the livestream for the finals is accessible in countries such as Australia with the exception of geo-restrictions in Germany Almaty World Cup FIS data page (start lists 2024/25 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup calendar Moguls World Cup standings: Women / Men Photos: Aerials / Moguls Videos Metrics details Primary healthcare played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing as well as monitoring and counseling patients via telemedicine We used a cross-sectional approach to analyze the severity outcomes of 174,540 COVID-19 cases treated in primary care in Almaty between 2021 and 2022 Outpatients with COVID-19 were mainly aged 30–39 (20.3%) with a mild course (88.9%) A higher risk for moderate to severe COVID-19 and adverse outcomes was assessed among older adults particularly those aged 60 and older compared with younger groups (OR = 9.01 Pregnant women had a low risk of severe disease (OR = 0.5 Patients with concomitant disease were at higher likelihood of severe COVID-19 (p < 0.001 95% CI: 1.07–1.26 for arterial hypertension 95% CI: 2.13–3.02 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) The study emphasizes an often-overlooked impact of COVID-19 on primary care which is essential for improving outpatient care Primary healthcare workers were challenged by a high incidence of COVID-19 resulting in a notable increase in hospital referrals Their key responsibilities included early detection of signs and symptoms of disease collecting specimens for laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 diagnosis including the use of telemedicine for preclinical care The Telemedicine center functioned 24 h a day and patient follow-up included home monitoring of patients’ condition for timely detection of deterioration and taking necessary measures transfer of violations of the conditions of home quarantine of patients In collaboration with the responsible persons of mobile teams of polyclinics coordination of hospitalization in infectious diseases hospitals was ensured depending on the severity of the patient’s condition medical consultations and other important issues Such comprehensive patient follow-up by the Telemedicine Center staff facilitated effective work in the pandemic environment It is essential to note that the severity and outcomes of outpatient COVID-19 cases in Almaty have not yet been thoroughly analyzed This lack of analysis may limit our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on primary healthcare and restrict opportunities for optimized preparedness The study aimed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 to Almaty primary care by exploring the number of outpatient cases of COVID-19 from 2021 to 2022 chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases - COPD we identified the association of disease severity courses and death outcomes with age The study’s findings can contribute to a better understanding of the distinctive characteristics of COVID-19 epidemiology in primary healthcare at the regional level in Kazakhstan and to the enhancement of outpatient care preparedness This was a cross-sectional retrospective study based on subnational data on patients with COVID-19 who on outpatient observation in 21 private and 39 public medical organizations of primary health care in Almaty (Kazakhstan) from January 1 The approval of the Ethics Committee of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Since only anonymous patient’s ambulatory medical records (outpatient cases records) were available to the research group the committee waived the informed consent (Protocol №IRB-A653 The study unit is the population of COVID-19 outpatient cases (ICD X: U07.1 and U07.2) in Almaty from 2021 to 2022 Each case was assigned a unique identifier (ID) Consent to the use of the data was provided centrally by the Telemedicine Center which combined information from 21 private and 39 public medical organizations of primary health care Outpatient variables analyzed in the study were the following: presented in absolute and relative numbers (percentage) The age intervals of the COVID-19 cases were considered including intervals in increments of 5 years (0–4 80 plus) and groups of: children (0–17 years) adult (18–59 years) and 60 years and older At a 21 private and 39 public medical organizations of primary health care staff receive information about the presence of concomitant outpatient diseases arterial hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from the Electronic Dispensary Patients Register (EDPR) information system This is a single register used for dispensary monitoring and this information is then entered into an electronic database at the Telemedicine Centre (with possible responses were yes/no for each disease; «yes» is only entered if there is confirmed data in EDPR excluding the possibility of a subjective diagnosis by the outpatient clinic staff) laboratory and X-ray examinations performed results (it was unclear whether one or two radiologists evaluated the image) or result of computed tomography (CT) The study did not consider outpatients with a critical course as they were immediately hospitalized The severity of cases by age intervals was described with the median age and the first and third quartiles to provide a more accurate representation of the age distribution among patients considering that patients’ conditions may change over time asymptomatic or mild cases may progress to more severe forms and moderate-severe cases may become severe we have decided to combine the asymptomatic and mild forms as well as the moderate-severe and severe forms of COVID-19 This data included information on its gender date of birth (automatic calculation into age years) reason of taking the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing (a) on clinical indications (taken at the outpatient clinic) c) the patient gave the test himself in a private laboratory) and result of RT-PCR (positive or negative) and the 10th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-X) code of the established diagnosis COVID-19 (U07.1 the severity of COVID-19 when taken under observation (asymptomatic the presence of concomitant diseases (yes or no for diabetes mellitus and description of the result of chest X-ray or CT we included data on the presence of pregnancy (yes/no) the polyclinic staff registered in the Telemedicine Centre’s electronic database recorded also the date of termination of outpatient follow-up with an indication of the reason for termination (including hospitalization in an infectious disease hospital or other medical institutions the fact of death or departure of the patient to another city) Data were analysed using descriptive (counts average values and variations) and analytical statistics (Pearson Chi-square test Categorical variables were represented as percentage frequencies and the Pearson Chi-square test was used for cross-group comparisons the relationship between gender and age in reported COVID-19 cases was described To identify associations between concomitant disease and severity of COVID-19 the estimated parameter was the odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI Statistical significance was set at p-values 0.05 Statistical analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software (SPSS 20 Age characteristics of COVID-19 patients who were on outpatient care in the period from 2021 to 2022 in Almaty The frequency of concomitant chronic diseases among outpatient observed patients with COVID-19 was analyzed, and the results are presented in Table 1 While there were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of COPD by gender the frequency of diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in females 3.1% vs as well as obesity was significantly more common in women than in men arterial hypertension was found to have a significantly higher prevalence in men (10%) compared to women (6.2%) (χ2 = 770.4; p < 0.001) The study outpatient population by severity course of COVID-19 disease Table 2 shows that moderate to severe COVID-19 courses were more often present in outpatients with concomitant diseases: arterial hypertension Outpatients with COVID-19 who had concomitant arterial hypertension had a higher incidence of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 (18.8%) compared to asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients (8.2%) (χ2 = 683.2; p < 0.001) the incidence of diabetes was higher in those with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 (1.8%) than in those with a milder course (0.5%) (χ2 = 411.8; p < 0.001) The prevalence of COPD and obesity was significantly higher in outpatients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 compared to asymptomatic and milder COVID-19 patients the incidence of COPD was 3.2% compared to 0.7% (χ2 = 409.27; p < 0.001) and the incidence of obesity was 1.8% compared to 0.5% Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were obtained when comparing the severity of COVID-19 patients who were on outpatient follow-up, depending on the results of the PCR test. The revealed differences were due to the higher frequency of negative RT-PCR tests in cases of moderate severity of COVID-19 compared to the mild course of COVID-19 (Table 3) the majority of patients tested positive for RT-PCR The frequency of positive RT-PCR results was significantly higher in asymptomatic and mild cases (96.6%) while the frequency of negative RT-PCR results was higher in moderate and severe cases (5.5%) (χ2 = 64.4; p < 0.001) Pregnant women with COVID-19 on outpatient follow-up in Almaty had a low risk of moderate to severe COVID-19 (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.38–0.65, p < 0.001) (Table 6) Also, regression analysis showed that among the observed outpatients with COVID-19, pregnancy had no statistically significant effect on lethal outcome (Table 6) This study is the first to explore the COVID-19 cases in primary healthcare from 2021 to 2022 in Almaty (Kazakhstan) The results showed that the incidence of COVID-19 among outpatients had a specific sex and age distribution gender differences in the prevalence of chronic diseases were observed and age was a key risk factor affecting both the severity of COVID-19 and the probability of mortality active outpatient surveillance is an important tool for timely detection of complications The findings stress the importance of age stratification in risk assessment and clinical management of outpatients with COVID-19 The diverse effects of these factors should be further explored in future studies preferably in a larger sample that covers a larger period of outpatient follow-up and inpatient cases the results of our study emphasize a clear association between the presence of concomitant diseases and an increased probability of moderate to severe COVID-19 infection among outpatients in Almaty increased the risk of moderate to severe COVID-19 and patients with diabetes mellitus were more likely to develop severe COVID-19 Our study underscores the crucial role of outpatient healthcare in managing comorbidities that affect the severity of COVID-19 outcomes We note that there is limited information specifically addressing outpatient pregnant women with COVID-19 The results of our study show that among COVID-19 outpatients pregnancy had a low risk of developing severe COVID-19 and had no statistically significant effect on lethal outcome (p > 0.05) Perhaps this can be explained by the specific organization of outpatient follow-up of pregnant women and the strict precautionary measures taken against them The differences between inpatient and outpatient data emphasize the importance of taking into account the specifics of the sample and the conditions of care we underestimated the total effect of COVID-19 and have analyzed only the primary healthcare strain of COVID-19 We did not know how many persons did not show up for follow-up or continued treatment which may hamper our exploration of the utility of telemedicine in home care Future research should explore the impact of telemedicine use among COVID-19 survivors on the optimization of primary healthcare Since the study focused exclusively on outpatient follow-up the findings cannot be generalized to other healthcare providers or patient groups such as those who directly went to emergency departments This might contribute to the over- or under-estimation of the severity of COVID-19 exposure in primary healthcare The duration of follow-up for outpatients has been changing and this has to be taken into account when comparisons are planned such as the availability of resources (e.g financial material and equipment) in primary healthcare may play a confounding role and need to be further studied The study design did not enable us to hypothesize on the causality but we were able to understand the likelihood of certain relations To enhance the comprehensiveness of future studies on the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term repercussions it is recommended that the monitoring period be extended beyond the conventional two-year timeframe an analytical framework delineating the pandemic’s distinct phases is advocated Such an approach allows for a systematic examination of how fluctuating infection rates and corresponding public health interventions intersect to shape the overall course of the pandemic Data acquisition needs to be expanded to include patients who received care in emergency departments and hospitals This broad-spectrum approach facilitates a comprehensive appraisal of the pandemic’s impact Long-term studies of COVID-19 survivors are necessary to understand the long-term consequences of the illness and to develop efficient rehabilitation and support measures The findings of this research can serve as a foundation for optimizing the outpatient healthcare system even after the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic the integration of telemedicine for remote patient monitoring and consultation emerges as a viable strategy to enhance healthcare accessibility and delivery efficiency healthcare providers can ensure continuity of care while simultaneously alleviating strain on physical infrastructure thereby fostering a resilient healthcare ecosystem adaptable to evolving healthcare paradigms our study offers important insights into the disease severity and outcomes of COVID-19 among outpatient cases in Almaty during the period of 2021–2022 We have demonstrated how disease severity and lethal outcomes correlate with age highlighting key factors that influence the clinical course of COVID-19 The data from our analysis underscore the significance of age as a critical determinant of COVID-19 severity among outpatients with older individuals facing a substantially higher risk of developing moderate to severe disease and experiencing adverse outcomes while of more outpatient cases was observed among females the distribution of cases varied across different age groups suggesting complex interactions between age the presence of underlying health conditions such as diabetes and COPD significantly increased the likelihood of developing moderate to severe COVID-19 among outpatients emphasizing the importance of managing comorbidities in outpatient settings to mitigate disease severity future research efforts should focus on addressing gaps in understanding the epidemiology and clinical management of COVID-19 among outpatient populations Studies that explore evolving trends and contribute to refining strategies for disease prevention and treatment are urgently needed particularly in light of changing patterns observed during the pandemic our findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on outpatient COVID-19 care and highlight areas for further investigation to optimize healthcare practices and policies in response to the ongoing pandemic The datasets used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable reques International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Johns Hopkins University (JHU). COVID-19 Dashboard. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. Onder, G., Rezza, G. & Brusaferro, S. Case-fatality rate and characteristics of patients dying in relation to COVID-19 in Italy. JAMA https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.4683 (2020) projections and impact of government measures COVID-19’s impact on primary care and related mitigation strategies: a scoping review B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2: features Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. COVID-19 data from around the world countries Kazakstan. (2024). https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/kazakhstan Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 treated with remdesivir across the continuum of care A pilot study of the efficacy and economical sustainability of acute coronavirus disease 2019 patient management in an outpatient setting Delivering outpatient virtual clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic: early evaluation of clinicians’ experiences World Bank, U. N. C. GeoNames. Almaty, Kazakhstan Population. https://populationstat.com/kazakhstan/almaty Seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 in the Population of Kazakhstan: a Nationwide Laboratory-based surveillance Salidat Kairbekova National Research Center for Health Development ‘The Health of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Activities of Healthcare Organizations in 2021–2022’ Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On Approval of the Standard of Primary Health Care Organization in the Republic of Kazakhstan (in Russian). (2023). https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V2300032160 Glushkova, N., Semenova, Y. & Sarria-Santamera, A. Editorial Public health challenges in post-soviet countries during and beyond COVID-19. Front. Public. Health 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1290910 (2023) Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On Approval of the Concept of Health Care Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Until 2026 (in Russian). (2022). https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2200000945#z38 Kazakhstan Transforming Primary Health-World Health Organization (WHO) Historical evolution of healthcare systems of post-soviet Russia World Health Organization. Clinical management of COVID-19: Living guideline. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/357004 Clinical Protocols of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan-2021. Coronavirus Infection with COVID-19 in Adults. https://diseases.medelement.com/disease Estimating the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan: factors Associated with detection of the ‘True infections’ Dynamic variations in COVID-19 with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Kazakhstan and Pakistan Nabirova, D. et al. Effectiveness of four vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2021: Retrospective population-based cohort study. Front. Public. Health 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1205159 (2023) Lopez Bernal, J. et al. Effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines on covid-19 related symptoms, hospital admissions, and mortality in older adults in England: test negative case-control study. BMJ 1088 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1088 (2021) and deaths averted via a nationwide vaccination campaign using the Pfizer–BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in Israel: a retrospective surveillance study A deep look into the storm: Israeli multi-center experience of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases before and after vaccinations and MERS: implications for preventive strategies Anticipating the need for Healthcare resources following the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Republic of Kazakhstan Therapies for people hospitalized with COVID-19 and alignment with national clinical guidelines in a large hospital Clinical pathway of COVID-19 patients in primary health care in 30 European countries: Eurodata study Ratio of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases among ascertained SARS-CoV-2 infections in different regions and population groups in 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis including 130 123 infections from 241 studies Magnitude of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases throughout the course of infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis Towards an Accurate Estimation of COVID-19 cases in Kazakhstan: back-casting and capture–recapture approaches Clinical characteristics and factors associated with hospital admission or death in 43 103 adult outpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 managed with the Covidom telesurveillance solution: a prospective cohort study Outcomes of COVID-19 adults managed in an outpatient versus hospital setting Age distribution and disease severity of COVID-19 patients continued to change in a time-dependent manner from May 2021 to April 2022 in the regional core hospital in Japan Continued proportional age shift of confirmed positive COVID-19 incidence over time to children and young adults: Washington State March—August 2020 Clinical outcomes in Young US adults hospitalized with COVID-19 Approach to COVID-19 in older adults and indications for improving the outcomes COVID-19 and preexisting comorbidities: Risks Risk and protective factors for COVID-19 morbidity Cawley, C. et al. The mortality burden related to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 - years of life lost and excess mortality in 13 countries and sub-national regions in Southern and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Front. Public. Health 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1378229 (2024) Sex differences in COVID-19 symptom severity and trajectories among ambulatory adults Implications of sex differences in immunity for SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis and design of therapeutic interventions Men and COVID-19: A pathophysiologic review Gender and sex bias in COVID-19 epidemiological data through the lens of causality Assessment of the frequency and Variety of persistent symptoms among patients with COVID-19 Frequency and type of outpatient visits for patients with Cardiovascular ambulatory-care sensitive conditions during the COVID‐19 pandemic and subsequent outcomes: A retrospective cohort study Mild to moderate COVID-19 illness in adult outpatients hypertension and risk of severe COVID-19: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis Obesity and mortality among patients diagnosed with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis Association of Pre-pregnancy Obesity and COVID-19 with poor pregnancy outcome Naaraayan, A. et al. Sex disparity in the effect of obesity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a Retrospective Cohort Study from the New York City Metropolitan Area. Cureus https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.15235 (2021) Obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19 mortality in women and men in the UK biobank: comparisons with influenza/pneumonia and coronary heart disease Clinical characteristics and risk factors for disease severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus in Kazakhstan: a nationwide study Chen, Z. et al. Comorbidities and complications of COVID-19 associated with disease severity, progression, and mortality in China with centralized isolation and hospitalization: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front. Public. Health 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.923485 (2022) Viral infections during pregnancy: the big challenge threatening maternal and fetal health Pregnancy and severe ARDS with COVID-19: epidemiology The coronavirus disease 2019 infection in pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis COVID-19 driven care changes in high risk patients from an outpatient to a community setting Vulnerable patients forgo health care during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic Geospatial characteristics of medical workforce and infrastructure to combat COVID-19 in Kazakhstan Physician burnout in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Portugal Burnout among primary Care Healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic Download references We acknowledge the support of the Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade and the Ministry of Science Technological Development and Innovation Republic of Serbia: 451-03-66/2024-03/200110 as well as the management of the Telemedicine Center of Almaty (Kazakhstan) We express our gratitude to co-author Milena Santric Milicevic for her valuable contribution to the development of the Fig Grant funding of young scientists under the “Zhas Galym” project for 2024–2026 of the Ministry of science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Epidemiological and socio-economic factors affecting the reproductive and mental health of women in Kazakhstan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic Sharapat Moiynbayeva and Milena Santric Milicevic contributions are equal Nailya Kozhekenova & Zhansaya Nurgaliyeva Kazakhstan Medical University “Higher School of Public Health” Laboratory for Strengthening Capacity and Performance of Health System and Workforce for Health Equity Milan Dinic & Milena Santric Milicevic Nazarbayev University School of Engineering and Digital Sciences Telemedicine Center at the Municipal State Enterprise on the Right of Economic management “Central City Clinical Hospital” of the Department of Public Health of Almaty Karaganda University Named After Academician E.A P.S.; writing—original draft preparation – N.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89707-5 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. 2025·FreestyleJaelin Kauf of the United States and Canada's Mikael Kingsbury each secured two Crystal Globes after Moguls competition in Almaty Photo: Andrey KulaginAlmaty’s Shymbulak Mountain Resort made for a picturesque backdrop as the season’s most consistent Moguls skiers were rewarded for their showing all season Jaelin Kauf (USA) and Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) each picked up two Crystal Globes by the end of the Moguls competition with the American taking her first titles in Dual Moguls and Overall while Kingsbury added to his collection in the Moguls and Overall the cherry came on top of another World Cup win in Dual Moguls after she beat Rino Yanagimoto (JPN) 29-6 It was the 28-year-old’s seventh World Cup win this season “That’s pretty incredible,” Kauf said about her first career titles “I’ve been working at that for a long time and I'm really excited about those titles Kauf will take lots of momentum and less pressure as the circuit travels back to Europe for its final stop in Livigno but I’m still going to give it my all at those events It’ll be a lot of fun.– Jaelin KaufAnastassiya Gorodka (KAZ) celebrated a coveted podium position on home snow as she took a 21-14 win over Tess Johnson (USA) in the small final to finish third It is the Kazakh’s second top-three finish of the season Kingsbury adds more Crystal Globes on “dad podium” The men’s Dual Moguls contest ended with a “dad podium” with the top three skiers all young fathers who already secured a Crystal Globe in Moguls the day before locked in another one in the Overall standings He did so en route to winning the Dual Moguls – his 98th career World Cup victory – beating Ikuma Horishima (JPN) 24-11 in the big final The two Crystal Globes were the 27th and 28th to his impressive haul over an illustrious career Said the Canadian: “Very happy that I got the singles and the overall title as well as a good lead over Ikuma (in Dual Moguls) The Canadian has been unbeaten in Almaty over three years securing the Moguls and Dual Moguls victories since the 2023 edition Three years in a row winning on this course We’ve been looking at it all season but I'm glad we made it.” We’ve been looking at it all season but I'm glad we made it.– Mikael KingsburyAustralia’s Matt Graham (AUS) completed the top three taking third place after beating up-and-comer Jung Daeyoon (KOR) 22-13 With the Moguls contest in Almaty now wrapped up Results: Women / Men Photos: Moguls People in costumes with Chinese elements take selfies at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty A celebration event marking the 2025 International Chinese Language Day was held here Saturday offering an immersive cultural experience that blended Chinese calligraphy Hanfu as well as Guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) performance A woman in costume with Chinese elements dances at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty People in costumes with Chinese elements pose for photos at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty Boys show their Chinese calligraphy works at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty A man writes Chinese characters at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty A girl learns to write Chinese characters at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty People watch Guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) performance at the 2025 International Chinese Language Day event in Almaty your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt Soon this artistic bounty will be on show to the public at Almaty Museum of Arts Set to be the first museum of its kind in the region Almaty Museum of Arts will focus on presenting and preserving modern and contemporary art from Kazakhstan and Central Asia The museum and its collection will be gifted to the city of Almaty – Kazakhstan's largest metropolis and former capital Led by Artistic Director Meruyert Kaliyeva (founder of Almaty’s Aspan Gallery) and Chief Curator Inga Lāce (formerly of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art), the museum will present works from the region and beyond in a 9,400-square-metre building designed by British architects Chapman Taylor In addition to showcasing the collection – which will continue to expand – a key focus of the museum is to strengthen local artistic infrastructures while providing a platform for dialogue between Central Asian art and the global art scene and histories of artists from Kazakhstan and beyond providing a vibrant platform for further study and appreciation of contemporary art in the region,” Kaliyeva says and a deeper understanding of the artistic heritage and contemporary expressions that shape and reflect Central Asia’s cultural landscape.” The museum will open with two exhibitions: a solo show by Kazakh artist Almagul Menlibayeva titled 'I Understand Everything' curated by Thai curator Gridthiya Gaweewong; and 'Qonaqtar' a group exhibition curated by Inga Lāce that draws from the museum’s collection to explore the connections and tensions between hospitality and migration Almaty Museum of Arts is not just a museum; it serves as a bridge that connects Central Asia’s vibrant and diverse art with the global cultural scene,” Smagulov says of the upcoming museum “Our mission is to create an inspiring space where both the people of Kazakhstan and international visitors can experience contemporary art that resonates with universal human experiences while also showcasing the distinctive cultural voices of our region.” Almaty Museum of Artsis set to open in summer 2025 ALMATY -- The sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting held here on Saturday laid the comprehensive political groundwork for the upcoming second China-Central Asia Summit later this year and facilitated in-depth discussions on advancing China-Central Asia cooperation in all aspects Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the United States has imposed arbitrary tariffs on more than 180 countries infringing upon their legitimate rights and interests China has stepped forward and taken necessary countermeasures not only to defend its own legitimate rights and interests but also to safeguard international rules and order as well as international fairness and justice As the world's second-largest economy and a responsible major country China will unswervingly advance high-level opening-up seek common development with neighboring countries shoulder its due international responsibilities and fulfill its international obligations also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee put forward five proposals from the Chinese side for deepening China-Central Asia cooperation be firm in upholding good faith and fostering harmony continue to advance institutional development The attending foreign ministers from Central Asian countries said that each country is ready to strengthen the synergy between their national development strategies and the Belt and Road Initiative jointly combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism so as to maintain regional peace and stability All sides agreed that China serves as a stabilizing force in a turbulent world and has demonstrated leadership in supporting multilateralism They also expressed support for international trade rules and their rejection of unilateral protectionist practices wet Tuesday night in Stoke and I raise you… I can’t say I’d envisaged ever making a three-flight 14-hour journey to the biggest city in Kazakhstan to watch my team play in sub-zero temperatures with temperatures dipping to -12C as night fell it was easy to lose sight of the match playing out on the pitch and instead marvel at the melting pot of over 20,000 supporters who had descended upon the city’s Central Stadium Focusing on the game itself is even more challenging when you have lost all feeling in your hands three pairs of trousers and five tops proved poor protection from the elements This was a kind of cold that chills you to the core But despite being very, very cold — and very much on the other side of the planet, of course — those of us who had made the journey were made to feel right at home as the away end erupted in a rousing chorus of “Tottenham Hotspur get battered everywhere they go” just before kick-off there was less of the London lilt to the accents bellowing it out but our new-found Kazakh allies sang it with as much passion and distaste for the ‘enemy’ as you would hear from the Matthew Harding Lower back in London SW6 Plenty of supporters had made it from England to Almaty There were around 450 Chelsea fans at the game My three-flight trek paled into insignificance when I heard the odyssey others endured to make the 3,485-mile trip east But their plan to catch a bus across the border was a problem “We got to the bus station Tuesday morning to find out that it wasn’t a bus station,” said Andrew “Then we just bottled it and got a taxi for five hours which was a fascinating journey with a taxi where the boot wouldn’t close and very suspicious noises were coming from the car for the first few hours of the drive.” I asked whether this journey was the craziest thing he’d done in his 40-plus years of following Chelsea Oliver will be telling my grandchildren long after I’ve departed from this world about the three days he had in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.” Others had been looking forward to exploring the capital before taking the short flight down to Almaty only to be confronted by -26C conditions which made going outside impossible the man pictured in the fetching Santa beard three photos up “It’s a game that a Chelsea fan can never miss It’s just a must-come-to game.” And on battling the extraordinary conditions in Astana “I only had my trainers on so I had to buy a pair of boots.” Yet there were also Chelsea fans with whom I spoke while wandering the freezing but sun-drenched streets of the city on the day of the game who had travelled from even more exotic settings to attend the tie I’m Producer Lucy from the Straight Outta Cobham podcast” is my new catchphrase and I’ll be thoroughly disappointed if we have not gained a new legion of fans from across Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia It did not take long to realise that we were in the midst of a football and Chelsea-loving city with an allegiance having been built up during Roman Abramovich’s time as owner But the city was also welcoming travelling fans with open arms not only from across Kazakhstan but pretty much everywhere meaning an entirely new winter wardrobe was required to brave the elements Sam recounted his “travel nightmare” all the way from Mumbai to Kazakhstan via Delhi Self-confessed “fanatics”, they were certainly the most joyous party we encountered; it was impossible not to feel instantly uplifted by their love of Chelsea and excitement to be watching their favourites in the flesh, even if the side that took to the frost-covered field had a decidedly C-team feel. It feels slightly incongruous that so many fans from a majority-Buddhist country had taken to following a club that has been anything but tranquil over the last few years, though I suppose Enzo Maresca’s arrival and the team’s upturn in form this season has been a bit of an awakening… In a traditional Kazakh restaurant, Qaimaq, in the shadows of the stadium, we met yet more Chelsea fans who had travelled from far and wide. Over a plate of the local delicacy, horse meat dumplings, one local explained how his father had converted him into a supporter, too. His dad had been a fan since 1976 and, with games not shown on television, listened to radio commentaries translated into Russian on his radio in the days of the Soviet Union. He boasted no English except for one, specific name, and it may have been my frozen ears deceiving me, but I could have sworn he called him Cold Palmer. I drew the long straw: a 10-hour flight direct from Almaty back to London Heathrow on what’s being called the ‘Chelsea Special’ just like it was in the 1980s, filled almost exclusively with supporters. And we weren’t going home empty handed, either. The club gifted each of the travelling 450 fans a commemorative keychain which read ‘Over land & sea — Stamford Bridge to Almaty — 3,485 miles’. A lovely souvenir with which to remember the trip, albeit impossible to forget this most unique of away days. I come away from my 48 hours in Kazakhstan having been starved of sleep and warmth, but full of that unquantifiable fuzzy feeling inside. To have shared the experience with my dad — who left me with absolutely no choice from birth as to which football team I should follow — made it even more special. I know it sounds horribly cliched, but this trip really reinforced for me that, while football can be a divisive and toxic place, it is also able to provide joy, togetherness and a sense of community like nothing else. The Briefing: Astana 1 Chelsea 3: Acheampong impresses, Chukwuemeka's rare start, academy joy A site featuring work of Bellisario College students and related media. This dialog contains the full navigation menu for bellisariostudentmedia.psu.edu. A view of Tian Shan mountains from the balcony at the Narxoz university dorm Like many Americans, my knowledge of Kazakhstan was limited to what I knew from the mockumentary "Borat" in which actor Sasha Baron Cohen plays a Kazakh journalist in the United States. Then I enrolled in Penn State’s international reporting class which was going to the largest country in Central Asia and the ninth largest country in the world by land mass. A simple Google search of the country showed striking views of the Tian Shan mountains surrounding Almaty, the country’s biggest city. What it didn’t show was the haze of brownish pollution that often obscures the mountains. That’s a problem in a city where the mountains are part of the soul of Almaty’s residents. The jagged snowcapped peaks are with them wherever they go around the city, providing a reference point and the best of views. My first experience with Almaty’s mountains came when I visited Shymbulak, a famous ski resort in the region. After taking a cable car and two gondola lifts up the mountain, I got to see the landscape that had been on my computer screen a few months prior. It was breathtaking. But ‘breathtaking’ could also describe the air at ground level in Almaty. Oddly, I first heard about the problem of Almaty’s air pollution from the world’s best chess player. Magnus Carlsen, a 34-year-old Norwegian, is not just any chess champion. I liken Carlsen to Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore, a “rule breaker” who never fails to stir controversy in his game of choice. Recently, Carlsen appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, the world’s most popular podcast, to talk about his career. In December 2022, the World Chess Championship was held in Almaty. Carlsen explained that the event is “being held in the weirdest of places.” Carlsen ranted on the podcast that Almaty is a “pretty polluted, not very nice city.” The pollution bothered Carlsen so much that he fled to the mountains before his match that day. The world’s number one player said that the mountains around Almaty were “basically the Alps,” and that he “was so miserable being down in the city" that [he] thought "for this day, if I am going to perform at all today, I need some fresh air, I need to get out of here.” The result was Carlsen being two and a half minutes late to a three-minute match. Carlsen won the match and the Rapid and Blitz championships in Almaty. The chess grandmaster’s comments spread like wildfire in Kazakhstan. You would figure that Carlsen’s negative views of the country’s former capital would create an uproar in Kazakhstan. Instead, most of the social media comments said that Carlsen was right about the pollution. “The pollution has gotten worse in the last few years, especially in winter,” said Aruzhan Yestemes, a 21-year-old resident of Almaty and a student at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Pollution is especially bad in the winter due to Almaty’s old coal-fired heating systems. Yestemes said that the air is “harder to breathe on some days” and that “some days, you can barely see the mountains.” An employee at Almaty’s Narxoz University explained to me that five or six years ago the mountains were almost always visible. Now they are rarely discernible in the horizon. Yestemes said that she hopes Carlsen’s remarks “will make more people pay attention to this issue.” She suggested solutions such as cleaner energy, better public transportation, stricter rules for factories and planting more trees. “Some days, you can barely see the mountains because of the smog. It’s sad because the mountains are a big part of Almaty’s beauty.” What Carlsen, Yestemes, and I all have in common is a reverence for these mountains. While I have only been here for a week, I could not imagine Almaty being Almaty without their towering presence. Peel in pole position with fourth winMar 02 2025·FreestyleChina's Wang Xindi (center) clinched his first World Cup win in three years at the Almaty World Cup Noe Roth and Qi Guangpu completed the men's podium Photo: Andrey KulaginAs the last one to take the slope at Almaty’s Shymbulak Mountain Resort Wang Xindi (CHN) had several tough acts to follow His stiffest competitors had landed high-quality high-scoring jumps before him in quick succession Wang shouldered it with ease as he sped towards the kickers to deliver the best score of the competition He executed the back double full-full-double full a trick with the highest degree of difficulty of the day to score 127.50 points and take first place It was a win that has been a long time coming for Wang – his first World Cup win in three years following his win at the Deer Valley stop in 2022 It meant Switzerland’s Noe Roth (SUI) had to settle for second place after landing a beautiful back double full-full-full to take 126.70 points China’s Qi Guangpu (CHN) landed the same trick The reigning Olympic champion retains the yellow bib and continues to put himself in good stead to take the season title as the circuit moves to its final stop in Italy later this month the season’s best performers knew a top-quality jump was necessary to leap onto the podium and half the field in the superfinal opted for the back full-full-full in their attempts to do so arguably the most consistent on tour this season in the triples She stomped her trick beautifully in the superfinal to score 115.91 points and take first place after she squeezed in the first round of finals in 12th landed a back double-full-full that was good enough for 87.06 points to take third place I think I got a little lucky – I snuck into the final Peel is in pole position to wrap up the season in Livigno later this month with a Crystal Globe as she leads the standings 78 points ahead of Xu but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself The Freestyle Skiing World Cup circuit takes a brief break and will travel back to Europe for the final stop of the season when the Olympic test event takes place in Livigno Results: Women / Men Photos: Aerials Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker NewsletterExplore the best restaurants Auyl – in the mountainous Medeu region of Almaty Kazakhstan – is a truly experimental restaurant experience Housed in a former yurt inherited from Soviet modernism and relocated to its current location where it plays host to multiple breathtaking spaces built around an interactive open kitchen (read: stage) it offers ‘neo-nomad cuisine’ inspired by pagan traditions from Central Asia flour and meat are head chef Ruslan Zakirov’s main ingredients the wine list is equally interesting with a selection of local and international bottles that are unconventional and largely sustainable Take a moment for the interiors: it’s a feast for the senses with atmospheric lighting and handmade chairs Inside, the galleries will host over 700 works from its founder’s private collection, ranging from Kazakh pioneers like Aisha Galimbayeva and Rustam Khalfin to international acclaimed artists such as Richard Serra, Bill Viola, and Yinka Shonibare The inclusion of commissioned outdoor sculptures and experimental internal spaces like the luminous Art Street corridor will invite visitors to engage with art beyond the confines of traditional white cubes courtesy Almaty Museum of Arts | sculpture © Yinka Shonibare CBE Global architecture firm Chapman Taylor presents an angular design that integrates panoramic views across terraces extending from all levels the museum’s galleries will accommodate various mediums and scales of artworks as well as public programming and artist rooms Its 12-meter-high gallery for temporary exhibitions allows for ambitious curatorial projects while dedicated conservation labs and art storage facilities ensure preservation of the collection and event spaces further enhance the Almaty Museum of Arts’ role as a community hub inviting public visitors of all ages as well as art professionals Kazakhstan to welcome a landmark institution — the Almaty Museum of Arts | sculpture © Yinka Shonibare CBE The museum will inaugurate its programming with two exhibitions that explore distinct facets of the region’s identity and its dialogues with the global art world Kazakh artist Almagul Menlibayeva will headline with I Understand Everything The exhibition will feature works spanning from the 1980s to the present examining overlooked narratives and histories of Central Asia a group exhibition curated by Inga Lāce that will investigate themes of migration and hospitality with a focus on Kazakhstan and its neighboring regions These exhibitions will be complemented by an opening performance art program curated by Anne Davidian which will include live performances and films and discussions inspired by the region’s musical heritage designed by Chapman Taylor with Buro Happold The Almaty Museum of Arts’ collection reflects the breadth of modern and contemporary art from Kazakhstan and Central Asia while establishing connections with the global art scene From the collection of the musuem’s founder it includes seminal works by Kazakh modernists like Aisha Galimbayeva as well as contemporary pieces by Rustam Khalfin Regional representation extends to artists like Saodat Ismailova from Uzbekistan and Jazgul Madazimova from Kyrgyzstan including a ceramic mural by Fernand Léger and an audiovisual installation by Bill Viola anchor the collection within a broader artistic dialogue Specially commissioned pieces by Alicja Kwade and Yinka Shonibare will also enliven the museum’s outdoor spaces the first private museum in Central Asia dedicated to modern and contemporary art from the region two interlocking structures representing the city’s built and natural landscapes | sculpture © Yinka Shonibare CBE the Art Street corridor invites visitors to engage with art beyond the confines of traditional white cubes permanent exhibition hall accommodating artworks across various mediums and scales architect: Chapman Taylor | @chapman_taylor_architects engineer: Buro Happold | @buro_happold collaborator: Lord Cultural Resources AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Radisson Hotel Group proudly expands its presence in Kazakhstan with the opening of Sadu Hotel Almaty marking the debut of the Radisson Individuals brand in the country This exciting addition strengthens the Group's footprint in Central Asia bringing a unique blend of personalized hospitality and contemporary comfort to Almaty Kazakhstan's most vibrant and cosmopolitan city Sadu Hotel Almaty, a member of Radisson Individuals enjoys a prestigious location within the SADU Arena sports complex home to Almaty's largest wrestling hall and the renowned Sunkar International Ski Jumping Complex originally built for the 2011 Asian Winter Games Nestled at the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains the hotel offers guests a seamless connection to Almaty's rich cultural heritage The hotel features 81 elegantly designed rooms blending modern aesthetics with local charm Each room showcases breathtaking mountain views and a tranquil ambiance creating the perfect retreat for both business and leisure travelers Guests can indulge in four diverse dining options the hotel provides 233m² of flexible event spaces designed to accommodate a range of meetings and celebrations a member of Radisson Individuals aligns with Radisson Hotel Group's strategic expansion in Kazakhstan extending beyond its existing presence in Astana to key destinations across the country For more information or to book, click here Hotel website Brand OwnerRadisson Hotel Group (RHG) A trial has opened in Almaty for Mashrapbek Baratov a 67-year-old man accused of taking a female airport employee hostage and threatening to detonate a bomb inside the terminal The incident occurred on March 7 at Almaty International Airport He claimed to be carrying explosives and demanded access through the security area without the proper documents The situation was quickly defused thanks to the actions of Musa Abdraim a bystander who had come to the airport to see off an acquaintance reportedly offered himself in place of the hostage and managed to disarm the attacker at a critical moment The standoff lasted approximately seven minutes Abdraim, a former martial artist, was later honored by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with the “Yerligi Ushin” (For Bravery) medal for his selflessness and courage During court proceedings further details emerged about Baratov’s background Article 293 of the Criminal Code (“Hooliganism with the use of weapons”) and Article 273 (“Knowingly false report of an act of terrorism”) spontaneously decided to fly to another city but lacked identification and a boarding pass When Mukhtarova stopped him during screening he claimed there was a bomb in his backpack Mukhtarova recounted the traumatic experience through tears: “He was alone He said he would blow up the airport in three minutes and showed me a button phone He also stated that he suffered a concussion while serving in Afghanistan in 1981 and that each spring he experiences bouts of aggression Baratov attacked a woman on a bus for speaking loudly on the phone He has since pledged to revisit the legislative amendments from that period this responsibility shifted to the aviation security service,” Adilov said “We will review the legislative amendments passed then we will submit a report under Article 200 of the Criminal Procedure Code to address circumstances that contributed to the offense.” entry-point screening at most airports in Kazakhstan is not performed except during emergencies Standard inspections occur only after passengers check in Additionally: the entrance fee per person is 3500 tenge. Almaty, Zhandosova 58/1, 3rd floor (entrance from Aimanov)  the entrance fee per person is 3500 tenge. ©2012 - 2025 "Ticketon events" LLP. All rights reserved. Volume 10 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2024.1502403 The research goal of these studies was to monitor ground deformations for Almaty city during 2017–2023 and determine the spatial relationships with faults and tectonic plate boundaries The small baseline subset interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SBAS-InSAR) was deployed for the interferometric measurements of ground deformations using Sentinel-1 radar satellite images Distinct deformation patterns were observed from both sides of the tectonic plate boundary Identical deformation trends were observed from south to north forming three transition zones from subsidence to uplift and subsidence again The spatial relationship between faults and ground deformations was also observed in the transition zone with a densely built-up area subject to gradual surface declination with potential risks to infrastructure Five incidents of building and bridge deformations with subsiding cumulative trends were observed in the same location with maximum annual subsidence velocity and cumulative displacement of − 57 mm/y and – 399 most uplifting areas were primarily in Zone 2 with maximum yearly uplift velocity and cumulative displacement of 40 mm/y and 254 mm These vertical movements in Almaty verify active tectonic plate activity that should be integrated into city risk assessment plans This creates complications for sophisticated urban planning and decision-making regarding safety when providing construction permits and required engineering standards historical maps of active tectonic faults left by the Soviet Union do not offer any detailed and dynamic information about what is going on with the surface changes and possible activation of tectonic faults The objective of the present research was to perform interferometric measurements for Almaty during 2017–2023 to monitor ground deformations and to determine their spatial relationships with faults and tectonic plate boundaries. Although similar kinds of studies with interferometric measurements have been already conducted for other parts of the World (Ferretti et al., 2001; Berardino et al., 2002) our investigations based on elaborated SBAS-InSAR analyses provide new findings and innovations on (1) actual velocity of tectonic plate movement (2) ground-reflected activeness of seismic faults and (3) zoning based on deformation patterns for Almaty city in Kazakhstan Detailed research goals of the present studies are as follows: - Surface displacement measurements in Almaty City and its surroundings using SBAS-InSAR for the period of 2017–2023 - Validate the reliability of SBAS-InSAR measurements with time-series GPS measurements and occurred incidents like subsidence of building - Determine spatial relationships of SBAS-InSAR measurements with faults and tectonic plate boundaries - Develop a zoning map based on spatial ground deformation patterns - Provide recommendations for short-term and long-term urban planning and decision-making In comparison with a previous study by (Zhantayev et al., 2014) focused on PS-InSAR measurements for Almaty during 2003–2006, we considered applying the SBAS-InSAR technique because the primary interest is to detect the large-scale deformations of urban land and surrounding areas like mountains and the low-vegetated regions with low-coherence characteristics (Ferretti et al., 2001; Berardino et al., 2002) This paper is organized as follows: for the introduction section we introduced relevant studies for Almaty and presented the contribution of our studies as the novelty for Kazakhstan we introduced the satellite imagery sources workflow for the SBAS-InSAR interferometric measurements and geostatistical analyses for detecting ground deformation hotspots we described the results and limitations of the study and compared our findings with those of previous studies for Almaty The conclusions section contains a summary of the present study The dramatic expansion of Almaty increases the potential consequences with an uncertain probability of their occurrence in high-magnitude earthquakes (A) Map of Almaty City with the representation of faults and tectonic plate boundary (B) with Terrain Hillshade (C) Overview map of Kazakhstan with the indication of Almaty City location Table 1. Characteristics of SAR images used for the present research (Tapete and Cigna, 2019; Yang et al., 2019) Connection graphs: (A) time-position plot for SBAS-InSAR; (B) time-baseline plot for SBAS-InSAR Workflow of SBAS-InSAR interferometric processing Goldstein’s method filtered all the interferograms to reduce the signal noise The Delauney 3D method unwrapped all phases with a coherence threshold of 0.25 unwrapped interferometric phases were refined and re-flattened using the polynomial method to estimate and remove the remaining phase constants and phase ramps based on the residual phase method to eliminate atmospheric artifacts we integrated GACOS tropospheric delay maps downloaded from the Generic Atmospheric Correction Online Service for InSAR (GACOS) relevant to the acquisition dates and time of SAR imagery the First Inversion step allowed us to derive the residual height and the displacement velocity to flatten the complex interferograms by recalculating the phase unwrapping The Second Inversion allowed filtering displacements with removed atmospheric phase components SBAS Geocoding was performed to produce geo-referenced velocities and displacements in the satellite line-of-sight (LOS) direction The annual LOS velocities and cumulative displacements were interpolated using the Natural Neighbor interpolator to generate gridded surfaces without spatial gaps The geostatistical interpolation contributed to a simplified interpretation and spatial analytics of ground deformation hotspots Validation of interferometric measurements was performed using cumulative displacement measurements from permanently functioning GPS network stations in Almaty (A) Kernel Density of SBAS-InSAR measurements; (B) Built-up area density in Almaty and surroundings (A) Natural neighbor interpolation of SBAS-InSAR displacement velocity (LOS mm/y); (B) Natural Neighbor Interpolation of SBAS-InSAR cumulative displacement (mm) Strike-slip faulting could not be observed because we did not perform interferometric measurements of horizontal displacements using multiple satellite tracks Spatial relations were not observed between all other faults and ground deformations 3D perspective views of natural neighbor interpolation of SBAS-InSAR displacement velocity (LOS 3D perspective views of delineated zones of distinct uplift and subsidence spatial patterns Geostatistical trend analysis of ground deformation velocities The spatial relationship between faults and ground deformations in the transition from Zone 2 to Zone 3, a densely built-up area, can be observed in Figure 10 This area is subject to gradual surface declination and is a potential risk to infrastructure Five incidents of building and bridge deformations were observed in the transition area from Zone 2 to Zone 3 They all showed subsidizing trends in cumulative displacements whereas landslide incidents showed the transition from subsiding to uplifting trends The maximal subsidence velocity was observed to be −57 mm/y whereas the maximal uplift velocity was 40 mm/y for our study area The maximal cumulative displacement was 399 mm and 254 mm for subsiding and uplifting areas Profiles with a background of (A) ground deformations; (B) satellite images (A) Profile 1; (B) Profile 2; (C) Profile 3; (D) Profile 4; (E) Profile 5 (A) Locations of incidents that occurred in Almaty (B) Cumulative displacements for the location of occurred incidents Validation of cumulative displacements measured by SBAS-InSAR and permanently functioning GPS stations 5 and 11 showed a good agreement with regression coefficients higher than 0.85 (Figure 14; Figures 15A, B) Even though interferometric measurements were performed in LOS they showed a good correlation with GPS measurements This allowed us to assume that differences between actual vertical displacements and LOS measurements were not significant (32) it was possible to assume that the impact of horizontal displacements was not high in Almaty either Location of permanently functioning GPS network in Almaty Regression analyses between InSAR and GPS measurements for (A) GPS station 5; (B) GPS station 11 In the present studies, apart from general ground deformation patterns in Almaty, SBAS-InSAR also allowed to measure ground subsidence on the local detailed level. It was possible to observe in Figure 16 for two sample areas that SBAS-InSAR indicated detailed subsidence patterns with an annual LOS velocity of more than 50 mm located under constructed areas This means that these areas are subject to potential in-situ inspections and investigations Cases of detected subsidence under constructed areas for potential inspections and investigations The results of our studies revealed distinct spatial patterns of subsidence and uplift processes on each side of the tectonic plate (between Zone 1 and Zone 2) boundary, meaning the normal faulting process (Kentucky Geological Survey, 2024) Distinct ground deformation patterns at Zone 2 and Zone 3 faults were observed and a gradual uplift to subsidence between these zones could cause a gradual surface declination SBAS-InSAR detected many sparsely distributed subsidence and uplift patterns under built-up areas in Zone 3 This means that some infrastructure is under risks of subductions or uplifts Five profiles of ground deformation revealed identical spatial variation trends in LOS displacement velocities Produced ground deformation revealed initially subsidizing up to – 10 mm and further uplifting cumulative displacement trends up– to 40 mm for the known sites of landslide incidents It was possible to observe the subsidence trends up to – 50 mm for the known building and bridge deformations incidents The verification of SBAS-InSAR measurements based on the in-situ measurements from permanently functioning GPS network and occurred incidents clearly indicated the reliability of measurements with regression coefficients higher than 0.85 and expected patterns of subsidence for damaged buildings and uplift-subsidence patterns of landslides the differences between LOS and actual vertical deformation were in the range of 3–7 mm This means that our LOS measurements were sufficient for the determination and quantification of overall deformation trends This was well reflected in a good agreement of our interferometric measurements with in-situ GPS measurements of cumulative displacements based on the high regression coefficient it is also possible to assume that Almaty was not subject to significant horizontal displacements Annual precipitation rates are also considerable high in the range of 650–700 mm during which about a third of the city’s annual precipitation is received All the water runoff generated by precipitation and glacier melting flows towards zone 3 accelerating the subduction processes The mechanical composition of Almaty soil consists of medium loamy, light loamy, pebble, and gravel-pebble, gravelly, clay, clay loam, clay karst. Soil mechanical properties like permeability, stiffness, and strength become more susceptible from south to north in Almaty and its surrounding areas what makes Zone 3 more vulnerable to subduction processes (JICA et al., 2009) We performed our interferometric measurements in the satellite LOS direction because of limited computing power and three-month processing time per satellite track we plan to integrate interferometric measurements from three more Sentinel-1 satellite tracks to achieve actual vertical and horizontal deformations we need help finding detailed information on soil mechanics and groundwater depth maps Accessibility of these data would contribute to the determination of spatial relationships and more sophisticated risk assessment Comparison of PS-InSAR and SBAS-InSAR measurements will also be deployed in future studies along with the integration of high-resolution radar satellite missions Investigating the dynamics of glacier changes and their impact on interferometric measurements is also imperative The recommendations from the present studies for short-term urban planning actions and decision making in Almaty are as follows: restriction of construction activities in the transition buffer from Zone 2 to Zone 3 ground inspections of sparsely distributed subduction and uplift zones under buildings and houses in terms of any existing damages in Zone 3 In long-term urban planning and decision making it is critical to continue ground-based monitoring of any damaged infrastructure The present research results will obviously attract urban planner and decision makers to perform similar detailed measurements for other seismically active cities in southern part of Kazakhstan with proximity to tectonic plate boundary It is crucial to stress that the methods and research framework used in this paper are generalizable and can be expanded to new locations for ground monitoring of other Kazakh cities Even though the main objective of the current study was to comprehend general ground deformation patterns in Almaty and the adjacent areas our findings also indicated comprehensive local level measurements for two case sites with possible subsidence that needed to be inspected and investigated by the urban planners geohazard and geotechnical experts and decision makers for the preventive measures It is crucial to better understand the regional geologic structure and seismicity controlled by movement of two large plates - the Eurasian and Indian Our studies allowed to more accurately measure annual displacement velocity of plate boundaries crossing Almaty long range and long-term regional monitoring using the permanently functioning network of GPS stations is irreplaceable to understand regional movement processes and their velocities It is important to always have the short-term and long-term adaptation mitigation and response plans to continue proper city planning and construction permissions prevent subduction processes under infrastructure or timely relocate people from critical areas with high velocity of ground motions InSAR plays a crucial role for measurements early warning and prioritization of these ground movement susceptible areas on the general and detailed territorial scales This study revealed distinct deformation patterns from both sides of the tectonic plate boundary indicating a standard faulting process using interferometric measurements Three conditionally delineated zones along the tectonic plate boundary and faults were observed and various patterns of subsidence and uplifts were apparent in Zone 3 The previous studies of Almaty, primarily focused on ground-based seismic or optical satellite observations (Silacheva et al., 2020; Amey et al., 2021; Grützner et al., 2017) did not show any of our observed ground deformation patterns Most of these valuable studies focused on a probabilistic approach to potentially risky areas based on earthquakes By updating the methods and providing a more extensive study area this study could be integrated into detailed city risk assessment plans a constantly growing city with a population of more than 2.2 million people where the continued build-up of the city’s residential and industrial complexes makes it even more sensitive to earthquakes The study observed distinct ground deformation patterns at Zone 2 and Zone 3 faults The fault between these two zones could be considered as the most active one because we could not observe similar deformation patterns at other faults It is important to emphasize that a gradual uplift to subsidence between these two zones could cause a gradual surface declination These deformation patterns could affect the performance of buildings and structures and updated building codes that meet the needs of not only earthquake-resistant construction but also ground deformation patterns and displacement velocities this area needs permanent monitoring and maintenance of construction the applied interferometric measurements used for Almaty will be an essential approach for similar studies in other cities of Kazakhstan The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research This study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Funder Project Reference of Institute of ionosphere: BR18574092 «Development of a multi-purpose aerospace monitoring system and services for an integrated situational information presentation about emergencies in transboundary regions of the RK and the RF» This research was implemented with the focus on the partial requirements of PhD Candidate - Nurmakhambet Sydyk’s doctoral dissertation on the “Geomechanical modelling of the earth’s crust in urban areas using satellite data” at Al-Farabi National University Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics This study was funded by the Nazarbayev University through Faculty-development Competitive Research Grant (FDCRGP) (AI and Data Science) 2024–2026 - Funder Project Reference: 201223FD2607 Collaborative Research Program 2024–2026 - Funder Project Reference: 211123CRP1606 This research was implemented to focus on the partial requirements of EB’s Habilitation Research at TU Berlin The authors would like to acknowledge Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Nazarbayev University The authors also kindly acknowledge the European Space Agency (ESA) for making available the Sentinel-1 images in the framework of Copernicus Programme The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher Significant seismic risk potential from buried faults beneath Almaty city revealed from high-resolution satellite DEMs CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Quantitative assessment of vertical and horizontal deformations derived by 3D and 2D decompositions of InSAR line-of-sight measurements to supplement industry surveillance programs in the tengiz oilfield (Kazakhstan) CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Optimization of targeted differential interferometric measurements for wellpads detected by mask region-based convolutional neural network in the tengiz oilfield of the caspian sea coast CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Quantifying two-dimensional surface displacements using high-resolution cosmo-SkyMed TerraSAR-X and medium-resolution sentinel-1 SAR interferometry: case study for the tengiz oilfield PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A new algorithm for surface deformation monitoring based on small baseline differential SAR interferograms CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Eurasianet (2024). Kazakhstan: strong earthquake plunges Almaty into panic. Available at: https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-strong-earthquake-plunges-almaty-into-panic (Accessed March 04 Google Scholar An integrated InSAR and GNSS approach to monitor land subsidence in the Po river delta (Italy) CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Permanent scatterers in SAR interferometry CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Correlation of ground deformation induced by the 6 february 2023 M7.8 and M7.5 earthquakes in Turkey inferred by sentinel-2 and critical exposure in gaziantep and kahramanmaraş cities CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Atmospheric limitations to repeat-track radar interferometry CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PsInSAR based land subsidence estimation of Burgan oil field using TerraSAR-X data CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Grützner Active tectonics around almaty and along the zailisky Alatau rangefront CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A first quantitative evaluation of atmospheric effects on SAR interferometry Fringe 96_Workshop on ERS SAR Interferometry Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Ground deformation analysis of bolvadin (W Turkey) by means of multi-temporal InSAR techniques and sentinel-1 data CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Time series analysis of surface deformation of Bengaluru city using Sentinel-1 images CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar JICA, OYO International Corp., Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., and Aero Asahi Corp (2009). The study on earthquake disaster risk management for Almaty city in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Available at: https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/216/216/216_154_11961786.html Google Scholar KazTAG (2021). Eight moraine lakes are most dangerous in Almaty in 2021. Available at: https://kaztag.kz/en/news/eight-moraine-lakes-are-most-dangerous-in-almaty-in-2021 (Accessed March 04 Google Scholar Kentucky Geological Survey (2024). Faults (tectonic). Available at: https://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal-mining-geology-fault.php (Accessed March 04 Google Scholar Extreme subsidence in a populated city (mashhad) detected by PSInSAR considering groundwater withdrawal and geotechnical properties PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Insights on the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar An overview of the small Baseline subset algorithm: a DInSAR technique for surface deformation analysis CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Urban subsidence monitoring by SBAS-InSAR technique with multi-platform SAR images: a case study of Beijing Plain CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar SBAS analysis of induced ground surface deformation from wastewater injection in east central Oklahoma CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Estimation of ground vertical displacement in landslide prone areas using PS-InSAR CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Reuters (2024). Earthquake shakes Kazakhstan's biggest city. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/earthquake-shakes-kazakhstans-biggest-city-2024-03-04/ (Accessed March 04 Google Scholar Comparison of persistent scatterers and small baseline time-series InSAR results: a case study of the San Francisco Bay area CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of Kazakhstan and Almaty city in peak ground accelerations CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar On the realization of seismic microzonation of Almaty (Kazakhstan) in ground accelerations based on the “continual” approach CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar COSMO-SkyMed SAR for detection and monitoring of archaeological and cultural heritage sites CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Monitoring of deformation processes on the Almaty prognostic test ground by tiltmeters and extensometers Google Scholar Rating of seismicity and reconstruction of the fault geometries in northern Tien Shan within the project “Seismic Hazard Assessment for Almaty” CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A least squares database approach for SAR interferometric data CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Comparison of HH and VV polarizations for deformation estimation using persistent scatterer interferometry,” in 38th asian conference on remote sensing - space applications: touching human lives Google Scholar Evaluating urban building damage of 2023 kahramanmaras Turkey earthquake sequence using SAR change detection PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Surface deformation from sentinel-1A InSAR: relation to seasonal groundwater extraction and rainfall in central taiwan CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Integrating MODIS LST and Sentinel-1 InSAR to monitor frozen soil deformation in the Qumalai-Zhiduo area CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Persistent scatterers interferometry technique for urban subsidence monitoring in Kazakhstan republic CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Monitoring and characterizing natural hazards with satellite InSAR imagery CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Research progress and methods of InSAR for deformation monitoring Google Scholar Neafie J and Aliyeva S (2024) Quantitative assessment of urban surface deformation risks from tectonic and seismic activities using multitemporal microwave satellite remote sensing: a case study of Almaty city and its surroundings in Kazakhstan Received: 26 September 2024; Accepted: 26 November 2024;Published: 16 December 2024 Copyright © 2024 Bayramov, Sydyk, Nurakynov, Yelisseyeva, Neafie and Aliyeva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Emil Bayramov, ZW1pbC5iYXlyYW1vdkBudS5lZHUua3o=; Nurmakhambet Sydyk, bnVybWFraGFtYmV0LnN5ZHlrQGlvbm9zLmt6 Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish The eighth ministerial meeting between Russia and the five Central Asian states highlights Moscow’s ongoing efforts to consolidate strategic influence across its southern periphery the increasingly formalised format serves dual symbolic and practical purposes: bolstering the Kremlin’s regional influence and harmonising key policy agendas in security This report wants to assess the status of Russia-Central Asia relations and Moscow’s strategy to exploit multilateralism and security cooperation to influence Central Asian republics and counter the recent first EU-Central Asia summit The Russia-Central Asia multilateral forum emerged as Moscow’s relations with the West soured because of the Ukraine conflict and China and Turkey increased their regional diplomatic activity Initially convened at the summit level in 2022 (Astana) the forum has developed into a regularised six-party format combining high-level summits with ministerial and working-level meetings The April 2025 ministerial meeting included participation from foreign ministers or deputy ministers of Kazakhstan alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov The participants discussed security collaboration focusing on terrorism, extremism, and narcotics, working together on migration, and joint efforts in green energy, industrial trade, and transportation infrastructure. This meeting prepared the groundwork for a future 2025 summit of heads of state where they will formally approve a joint-project package Russia’s engagement reflects a deliberate strategy to entrench regional dependencies and prevent erosion of influence in Central Asia The Kremlin still considers the region as part of its blizhnee zarubezhe (near abroad) and lebensraum (vital space) where and the Gulf Arab monarchies have increased their activities Against the backdrop of the Western sanctions because of the Ukraine conflict Moscow is prioritising “friendly peripheries” to maintain strategic depth and reinforce internal narratives of resilience The Almaty meeting functioned as both a diplomatic performance and a forum for policy alignment Russia seeks to show unity and shared strategic goals by emphasising common security interests and promoting regional growth public statements and joint communiques omit reference to any tangible mechanisms of enforcement or monitoring suggesting that alignment remains primarily declarative Security concerns remain a unifying theme across the six countries, particularly regarding terrorism, extremism, and narcotics trafficking, geopolitical risks compounded by instability in neighbouring Afghanistan Moscow’s focus on legal changes targeting illegal migration and the need to align regional partners with its domestic policy Although Central Asian nations recognise these dangers their assessments of the threats and priorities vary especially considering their reliance on Russian remittances Including the Ukraine conflict in Lavrov’s briefing illustrates Russia’s attempt to secure narrative alignment or at least passive support from regional allies This dynamic further underscores the geopolitical conditioning of what is ostensibly a technical and security-focused forum Ministers stressed the importance of economic growth, focusing on collaboration in green energy, water resources, and transportation. However, despite rhetorical commitments, the viability of these initiatives remains uncertain. While Central Asian nations strive for better infrastructure and a more diverse economy its own economic struggles and global sanctions hampered Russia’s ability to fund major projects The region is subject to overlapping economic interests from other major powers, notably China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Turkey’s growing infrastructural diplomacy, which further complicate the implementation of Russian-backed projects. In addition, the first EU-Central Asia summit in Samarkand (April 4 2025) challenged the Kremlin’s regional power While the regularity of Russia-Central Asian ministerial meetings suggests a degree of institutional maturity the multilateral format lacks legal codification or binding commitments It operates more as a political coordination mechanism than a formal alliance The participation of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at the deputy-ministerial level may show either scheduling constraints or differing levels of engagement The Almaty ministerial meeting marks a continuation of Russia’s structured diplomatic engagement in Central Asia reflecting both strategic necessity and geopolitical ambition Although this format allows for cooperation and discussion of shared issues its success hinges on Russia’s ability to follow through and on Central Asian countries’ willingness to cooperate more closely with Moscow in this uncertain global climate the multilateral format must face distinct challenges to become a strong regional bloc without deeper institutional reforms *Cover image: A moment during the 8th Russia-Central Asia ministerial meeting in Almaty (Source: Ispolnitel’nogo komiteta SNG) Contact us at info@specialeurasia.com and request information about our consulting services and tailored reports on Central Asia and Russia 54/2025 del 09/01/2025 ©2024 All rights reserved.