Kazakhstan’s Agency for Protection and Development of Competition (AZRC) has proposed the partial privatization of the Atyrau and Pavlodar oil refineries the proposal involves selling 50% of the state’s stake in these assets Kazakhstan operates three major oil refineries The Pavlodar refinery is fully owned by KazMunayGas Refining and Marketing JSC a subsidiary of the state-owned KazMunayGas (KMG) the Atyrau refinery is 100% state-owned through KMG the Shymkent refinery operates under a 50-50 joint venture between KMG and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) through PetroKazakhstan Group AZRC cites the Shymkent refinery as the most efficiently operated among the three private management means fewer government officials in operational roles This confirms that private sector management is more effective,” Akhmetov told reporters on the sidelines of Parliament He also noted that preliminary discussions on privatization have already taken place within the government Kazakhstan is expected to refine 17.9 million tons of oil in 2024 yielding 14.5 million tons of oil products The three main refineries processed similar volumes in the previous year: more than two dozen mini-refineries across Kazakhstan contribute to oil processing Akhmetov also revealed that AZRC has recommended the privatization of most municipal utilities in the housing and communal services (HCS) sector in coordination with sectoral government bodies has agreed to privatize a significant portion of the defense-industrial complex including firms handling government contracts some strategically important enterprises will remain under state control Akhmetov did not specify which companies would be exempt from privatization As The Times of Central Asia previously reported Kazakhstan plans to establish a major defense industry hub at Semey’s tank repair plant By 2024-11-07T11:00:00+00:00 KAZAKHSTAN: The city of Pavlodar is planning to acquire up to 25 energy-efficient trams with traction batteries to help renew its fleet The order will be financed with a €10m loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and a €4m loan from the Clean Technology Fund plus €2m from Pavlodar oblast EBRD said trams handle almost 40% of passenger traffic in the city of more than 360 000 people nearly 60% of the fleet dates from the 1970s and 1980s and requires urgent renewal The new trams will have a range of up to 20 km using battery power enabling them to continue operating during electricity outages to help reduce traffic congestion This would also enable the network to be expanded without installing overhead electrification the municipal tram company will deliver public awareness campaigns to improve safety for female tram drivers and passengers ‘Trams are widely recognised as an ecologically friendly and efficient means of transport’ said EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso on October 31 ‘We are pleased to help our long-term counterpart The city’s most recent tram purchase was from Belarus-based Belkommunmash but the new cars are unlikely to be from the same supplier EBRD has restricted Belarus and Russia’s access to its financing since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.  KAZAKHSTAN: The first tram has been delivered for the reopening of the tramway which links the Temirtau steelworks to the city The 11 km line was included in the deal when steelmaker company Qarmet acquired the steelworks from ArcelorMittal Steel in December .. First line opened October 18 1965; network of seven regular routes Pavlodar is served by Kazakhstan’s largest tram network Five radial routes link to a central figure-of-eight together with a short branch serving the main station Address637000 PavlodarKazakhstanPhone+7 3182 771316Emailmah_g@mail.ruWebsitewww.pavlodar-tramway.narod.ru Network data Gauge1524 mmLength86 .. KAZAKHSTAN: Belkommunmash has won a contract to supply up to 25 trams to Pavlodar The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is providing 2bn tenge under a loan agreement signed in 2015 The remainder will come from the government Site powered by Webvision Cloud China is set to invest approximately $5 billion in the establishment of manufacturing enterprises in the Pavlodar region Full digital access to all news for 1 month Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 1 year Here we are to serve you with news right now quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis you can have full digital access to all news Proces du 13-November : ce que ces hommes opaques ont dans la tete Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit Blanditiis optio incidunt eum omnis ratione error temporibus iure porro esse Integer consectetur quam eget ipsum dictum accumsan Donec non lectus id risus rutrum ullamcorper sit amet vel nulla Lena, 55, from Pavlodar in northeastern Kazakhstan, was addicted to drugs for over 20 years. “I remember how it was using drugs: I fell asleep–it’s winter. Woke up–summer,” she said.  Unsafe injections among drug-users are a leading cause of transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Eurasia, accounting for over one-quarter of new HIV infections, UNAIDS, the United Nations AIDS program, reports. The data was released in conjunction with the 25th International AIDS Conference, which concluded July 26 in Munich is that many drug users have no access to “HIV prevention services” or treatment.  In Russia, LGBTQI+ people faced “concerted attacks,” the report said 94 percent of all new HIV cases in 2022 were among so-called “key populations”: people who use drugs gay men and other men who have sex with men even for those who are not on the receiving end “I am reborn from this work,” she said.  Ekaterina Venkina is a journalist specializing in foreign policy and international relations She is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all The band «Nancy», one of the most famous and popular bands of the last decades, proudly announces its grandiose holiday concert. This unforgettable evening promises to become the event of the year for all fans of the band and just lovers of good music in Kazakhstan! NANCY's concert promises to be a real «menthol extravaganza». The stage production will include incredible lighting effects, large-scale video installations and other impressive elements, creating an atmosphere of complete immersion in the world of music and emotions. The NANCY band is sure that every spectator will feel like a participant of this musical holiday, enjoying the bright sounds and drive that will fill the space of the concert hall. The concert organisers urge all fans of NANCY and lovers of live music not to miss the opportunity to join this unique musical event. Tickets are already on sale. ©2012 - 2025 "Ticketon events" LLP Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during his working trip to Pavlodar region on the example of KAZ Minerals Bozshakol LLP and Kazakhstan Carriage Building Company LLP familiarised himself with the progress of implementation of the Head of State's instructions on the development of industry provision of support measures for domestic manufacturers and introduction of digital solutions At the site of open-type copper mine Bozshakol Prime Minister familiarised himself with the technological process Annually 30 million tonnes of ore is processed at the enterprise Last year 105 thousand tonnes of copper were produced silver and zinc in concentrate are also produced here Special attention is paid to the training of young specialists within the framework of The Year of Vocational Professions initiated by the President This year the company plans to attract more than 200 students for paid internships the company has created more than 14,000 jobs to date The Prime Minister was informed about the work being done to introduce modern technologies including the development of artificial intelligence systems at the production sites Full dispatching covers all stages from ore crushing to concentrate production Production process modelling systems and drones for 3D modelling of open pits are being used which significantly improves the accuracy and efficiency of operations higher redistribution - the President has set such a task The Tax Code provides for preferences: those who produce products of higher processing will pay less taxes Everything is being done to stimulate the processing industry This means that very different money will remain in the country Many countries are now developing processing on Kazakhstan's raw materials have the opportunity to invest," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised In Ekibastuz on the territory of Kazakhstan Wagon Building Company LLP the Prime Minister got acquainted with the current production capacities of the domestic manufacturer of universal freight gondola cars as well as plans for further increase of indicators taking into account the annual growth of freight traffic volumes General Director of SMP Group LLP Yerzhan Kuangan said that since its foundation the company has produced more than 9 thousand gondola cars The production capacity has increased from 100 to 240 wagons per month Today the company fulfils the contract for the supply of 3 thousand gondola cars ahead of schedule the completion of which is scheduled for May 2025 Attention was paid to the issues of interaction within the framework of implementation of the Concept of Transport and Logistics Complex Development "Our country has a huge and not fully unlocked potential in transit and logistics The railway system requires renewal of wagons we support the plans of the enterprise to increase production," Prime Minister stressed and instructed the Ministry of Transport together with interested organisations to work out measures to support the enterprise including the possibility of concluding long-term offteik contracts for the supply of gondola cars and boxcars the management of the enterprise needs to increase the share of local content as countermeasures "The most important thing is to increase localisation You should further stimulate domestic production," Olzhas Bektenov noted Stay updated about the events of the Prime minister and the Government of Kazakhstan - subscribe to the official Telegram channel From 17 to 19 March 2025, the Astana Ballet Theatre performed in Pavlodar with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, DKnews.kz reports This event has become a vibrant cultural event in the region symphonic and opera art in a single harmony The capital theatre has developed an original program for the Pavlodar audience that combines diverse genres and styles thereby creating an exceptional synergy of art Each performance engrossed the audience in the ambience of authentic classics but also the profound emotional depth of ballet prowess entitled “Carmen Suite” (by Bizet and Shchedrin) was staged at the Estay Palace of Culture on the 17th and 18th of March This legendary production was first performed almost 60 years ago on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre and then on the stage of the National Ballet of Cuba in Havana The choreographic interpretation of Georges Bizet’s renowned opera “Carmen” was created especially for the illustrious Maya Plisetskaya The ballet was created on the basis of the eponymous novel by Prosper Mérimée Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso created the libretto and choreography and the production was staged by Timofey Lavrenyuk Rodion Shchedrin’s musical transcription The piece organically combines the virtuosity of composition with the subtle psychological nuances found in both Bizet’s music and Mérimée’s literary work The “Carmen Suite” is currently regarded as one of the most significant contributions to the realm of world ballet The role of the passionate and freedom-loving Carmen is often considered by many accomplished ballerinas to represent the pinnacle of their professional careers The artists of the Astana Ballet succeeded in conveying the drama thereby delighting the audience in Pavlodar and eliciting a prolonged ovation The second part of the programme featured the one-act ballet “Triumph” which has been staged by the talented young choreographer Ainur Abilgazina This choreographic performance has become an exemplary manifestation of the art of classical ballet and profound emotive force of the production enabled spectators to encounter all the solemnity and magnificence of this art form The ballet “Triumph” became the culmination of the program which left an indelible impression on ballet enthusiasts The final performance of the tour took place on 19 March a renowned opera singer of Pavlodar origin accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the Astana Ballet Theatre the audience was able to immerse themselves in the multifaceted world of opera Maria Mudryak performed masterpieces of Italian opera romantic works of Austrian operetta and passionate melodies of Spanish zarzuela The tour of the Astana Ballet Theatre in Pavlodar has become a significant event in the cultural life of the region the magic of music and the great art of opera came together to give the audience unforgettable emotions This programme proved once again that classical art remains relevant inspiring and delighting audiences with its beauty and perfection DKNews International News Agency is registered with the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Pavlodar Oil and Chemistry Refinery (POCR) is one of the biggest oil refineries in Kazakhstan The facility was commissioned in 1978 and is spread over 460ha of industrial area in the city of Pavlodar which is located in the country’s north-eastern region POCR is operated by the state-owned oil company KazMunaiGaz and is currently undergoing a $1.2bn modernisation in order to increase its refining capacity to 7.5 million tonnes a year (Mt/y) The site processes west-Siberian crude oil to produce motor gasoline Approximately 60% of the refinery’s total volume of light oil products is supplied to the domestic market The modernisation of the refinery will enable it to offer high-quality petroleum products consumers in Kazakhstan Work under the project began in 2015 and is scheduled to be completed by September 2017 The modernisation of POCR will see the construction of 12 new units including a combined sulphur production unit and an isomerisation unit Construction of a naphtha splitter is also planned which will feature two storage tanks and possess a total capacity of 10,000m³ for high-octane gasoline LPG treatment facilities and a 2Mt/y automatic gasoline mixing station will be added to the refinery Plans have also been outlined for the addition of a sour water stripper amine regeneration facility and an automated gasoline blending facility The modernisation works will include the reconstruction of 18 general facilities including the existing crude atmospheric distillation unit catalytic cracking unit and reforming unit the diesel hydrotreatment unit is set to be converted into a naphtha hydrotreatment unit The refinery modernisation will enable it to produce quality petroleum products that comply with the K4 and K5 ecological grades and improve the oil refining depth by 90% It will also facilitate the production of Euro-4 and Euro-5 standard products The project will double the production rate of aircraft fuel and increase diesel oil production to 5,630t and high-octane gasoline to 297,000t/y a two-fold increase in light oil products output will be achieved The processing capacity of hydrotreated vacuum gas oil at the refinery will increase from the existing 1.2Mt/y to 1.9Mt/y following the refurbishment it is expected to enable the refinery to produce petroleum products with less sulphur New technologies and improved control automation are scheduled to be added as part of the development Construction works on the modernisation project began in 2015 and reconstruction of the delayed coker unit (DCU) was completed in 2016 The main concrete construction and electricity works at the naphtha isomerisation and splitter Mechanical installation works at the new units began in April 2017 The sulphur production facilities are expected to be completed by July 2017 while the isomerisation unit and naphtha splitter are currently scheduled for completion by September 2017 The front-end engineering design (FEED) services deal for the refinery was awarded to Rominserv Bechtel was contracted to provide ThruPlus® technology for the process design of the DCU in November 2012 Siirtec Nigi and Haldor Topsoe also provided refining technologies for the modernisation Honeywell Group’s UOP was contracted to provide processes and services for the project in February 2013 in order to help the site meet Euro-5 standards construction (EPC) contract for the refinery’s refurbishment in July 2013 The Verus Project Management consortium was awarded a services contract in February 2017 The Development Bank of Kazakhstan is financing 25% of the project in the form of credit for a ten-year period to carry out the necessary construction works Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Rents have shot up by a third in parts of Kazakhstan’s borderlands with Russia, as the housing market reacts to increased demand from Russians fleeing mobilization The news will fuel concerns being aired on social media about the impact of the influx of Russians to Kazakhstan Rents in border areas rose by 15-34 percent in the week to September 25, a study by Krisha.kz “The price increase took place mainly over the weekend [September 24-25] and is connected to an increase in demand for rental accommodation,” it reported The number of views of announcements in those places grew by two to three times compared to the usual stable level.” The sharpest rises occurred in Aktobe in western Kazakhstan and Uralsk in the northwest where prices rose by 34 percent over the week and in Semey and Petropavlovsk by 15 percent of 5.6 percent and 5.1 percent respectively On September 27 Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov acknowledged that Kazakh citizens were in a “difficult position” as a result of rising rents He ordered measures to “stabilize” the housing market The rush for accommodation has also led to a shortage of hotel rooms the site showed a message saying: “99 percent of places to stay are unavailable for your dates on our site.” Such is the shortage of beds in Uralsk that one cinema has been offering Russians the chance to sleep inside On September 27 the Interior Ministry released figures showing that 98,000 Russians had entered Kazakhstan since September 21 though whether for Russia or a third country is unknown The ministry did not provide figures for previous periods for comparison It did say that 1.7 million Russians had entered Kazakhstan this year 3 million Russians entered the country over two years from 2018 to 2019 –1.5 million each year Many will have stayed temporarily then left As members of the Eurasian Economic Union free trade zone Russian citizens can enter Kazakhstan visa-free and remain for up to 90 days As social media remains abuzz with talk of arriving Russians President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Kazakhstan would show “humanity” and assist them “Most of them have been forced to leave because of a hopeless situation that has arisen. We should show concern for them and assure their security. This is a political and humanitarian matter,” he said “In this difficult situation we need to show humanity patience and good organization,” he continued Those arriving from abroad will be given assistance but will not receive any preferential advantages.” Tokayev promised to hold talks with Russian officials to “solve this problem in the interests of our country.” He did not specify what outcome he might seek given Russian displeasure over its ally Kazakhstan not offering support for its war in Ukraine Joanna Lillis is a journalist based in Almaty and author of Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan’s state-owned JSC National Co. KazMunayGas (KMG) is on schedule to commission subsidiary Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant LLP’s (PPP) newly reconstructed refining and petrochemical complex in Pavlodar Part of KMG’s ongoing revitalization and modernization program of its three Kazak refineries PPP’s Pavlodar refinery is due to be cleared for technical startup on Oct Alongside installation of two diesel hydrotreating reactors to enable production of diesel fuels conforming to the Eurasian Economic Commission’s technical specifications for the K5 emission class—equivalent to Euro 5-quality environmental standards—the Pavlodar reconstruction also entailed revamp and overhaul of the refinery’s: the modernization work involved reconstruction of the fluid catalytic cracking unit at the refinery’s deep oil refining complex including replacement of upper bottoms (domes) and unidentified internals of Reactor P-201 and Regenerator P-202 as well as replacement of unidentified internals of the unit’s K-201 fractionation column A first phase of the modernization project consisting of two processing units was scheduled to be commissioned by Jan at which time the refinery was to be able to produce K4-standard fuels while a second phase focused on improving both the yields and qualities of the refinery’s petroleum product slate was due by yearend the Pavlodar modernization program was to include the revamp of ten of the plant’s units New installations to be built as part of the project were to include a Penex isomerization unit and diesel hydrotreating and dewaxing units Designed to process a West-Siberian blend of crudes but reconfigured as part of the overhaul to process Kazak grades as well the Pavlodar refinery processed only 5.1 million tpy of crude in 2016 KMG did not disclose a timeframe for when—or if—the refinery would ramp up to its presumably new 7 million-tpy processing capacity following the reconstruction project Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected] reports and more on the topics that matter to you Join us today to continue accessing content without any restrictions Or to request access to TXF Intelligence contact us in the decarbonisation technologies sector at thyssenkrupp argues that long term trends towards decarbonisation are.. at Finnish energy and marine technology company reflects on ECA-backed projects in the new global macro and.. Veronika’s Exile celebrates the importance of mentorship and resilience as well as embracing alternative working models to deal with problems that aren’t quite as unprecedented as we give them credit for argues that long term trends towards decarbonisation are unambiguous reflects on ECA-backed projects in the new global macro and political paradigm emerging from the US An Industry Awards dinner adds glamour to this unmissable adventure Propel Your Career Forward with the Gold Standard in ECA Finance Education The original works published on this website are owned by Exile Group Limited and are accessed by you subject strictly to the terms of our licence or transmit all or part of the works without our permission including uploading prompting or otherwise making available the original works to large language models (such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini) whether for training Energy officials in Kazakhstan say they have over the past week uncovered 13 illegal data-mining farms collectively using more than 200 megawatts of power The facilities have been found all over the country “[Efforts] to identify and disconnect mining farms from the electrical grid will continue, and the relevant government bodies are also conducting investigations into the data-mining farms that have been detected,” the Energy Ministry said in a statement on February 21 War on unlicensed crypto-miners was declared earlier this year by Digital Development Innovation and Aerospace Industry Minister Bagdat Musin who appealed for help from the public in implementing the crackdown “Gray miners are doing a lot of harm to our power grid The energy costs of illegal mining are estimated to exceed 1 gigawatt,” he said on February 3 China’s de facto ban on crypto-mining last summer precipitated a boom for the industry in Kazakhstan where operators took advantage of relatively low electricity costs to turn the country for a while into the second-biggest crypto-mining center in the world Many have done so without registering themselves with the authorities They use copious volumes of electricity at household rates thereby depriving power providers of revenue Unpredictability in usage patterns also complicates the ability of electricity producers to draw up reliable output plans who they say have placed an excessive load on energy infrastructure for an increasing number of rolling blackouts across various regions in recent months. According to the Energy Ministry power consumption in January-October 2021 grew by 8 percent compared to the same period a year earlier consumption grew annually by less than 2 percent deputy Energy Minister Zhandos Nurmaganbetov seemed to be suggesting that tracking down all the so-called gray miners might take time “[Energy Ministry inspectors] cannot go around the whole city to work it out We make enquiries with energy-generating companies: ‘Hand over whatever information you have about miners.’ But they don’t give us anything What you have to understand is that either they don’t know either or this information is being hidden somehow,” Nurmaganbetov told reporters on February 17 Some of the illegal data farms have been going about their business with remarkable brazenness was situated within the grounds of a coal-fired thermal power station in the town of Ekibastuz Another was operating out of six containers at an industrial park in the commercial capital of Almaty Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was not always well-regarded in Central Asia because of his history of ill-judged remarks about people from the region His death has nevertheless been greeted there with shock and dismay The news of his death on February 16 at the IK-3 prison colony in Kharp dominated the headlines of many privately run outlets State media, however, mostly avoided the topic. An exception was Kyrgyzstan’s Kabar news agency, which reproduced a dry bulletin from Russia’s state-run TASS news agency A tweet by Eldiyar Arykbayev a journalist from Kyrgyzstan with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project echoed the sentiments of many who saw a comrade-in-arms in an activist who made his strongest impact when documenting graft and greed among Russia’s elite “It always seemed to me that Navalny would come out of this fight as a winner a city to which thousands of Russians have decamped to avoid being called up for military duty left flowers at the gates of the Russian consulate The same scene played out at the Russian Embassy in Tashkent A photo posted on Telegram showed how somebody had placed a single red rose at the base of a monument to victims of political repression in Pavlodar said she saw Navalny as an avatar for a future that could have been He is the only one who could resist [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Uvaliyeva told Eurasianet offered a more bitter and caustic assessment “The war in Ukraine has played a big role. It was a distraction. And the Nazi regime had nothing left to lose,” he wrote on his Telegram “Against the background of half a million killed in this war The intensity of the public conversation around Navalny has differed across the region In the very relative openness of Kazakhstan In the suffocated environment of Tajikistan the idea of showing sympathy to anti-system figure appears to have discouraged similar conversations Opinions on the activist are also invariably strongly correlated with exposure to Russian state media Where Kremlin talking points get more of an airing Navalny’s standing in Central Asia was complicated by other factors. Remarks he made to journalists in the past betrayed a readiness to dabble in xenophobic rhetoric. That point was made to Global Voices by Sergei Abashin, a professor at the European University at Saint Petersburg, in a 2021 interview Navalny took part in the annual ‘Russian Marches’ that were openly xenophobic,” Abashin said “During the Moscow mayoral elections of 2013 one of Navalny’s main talking points in his public appearances was the topic of migration using in his rhetoric a flurry of xenophobic attacks against people from Central Asia and the Caucasus posing a terrorist threat and being alien to Russian culture.” One episode that caused much upset in Uzbekistan occurred in 2017 when Navalny said dismissively of Uzbeks that it was unlikely that many of them had heard of the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin In a later interview following his recovery from a poisoning carried out by Russian state agents and there are many people there who know who Pushkin is but then there are some people in Russia who don’t know [Pushkin] either,” he said If some in Central Asia identified with Navalny and his plight it may be because there is no shortage of people there too that have been imprisoned on political grounds an activist in Kyrgyzstan now under house arrest pending the outcome of a much-criticized criminal case against her and dozens of other activists on charges of plotting to seize power “They killed him,” she wrote on Facebook above a photo of Navalny Opposition figures and activists in Central Asia are vividly aware of the dangers implicit in ending up behind bars in their countries In 2020, an ethnic Uzbek human rights activist, Azimjan Askarov, died in a prison in Kyrgyzstan at the age of 69 Askarov had suffered from poor health for much of his 10 years in confinement A lawyer who visited him in prison only a few days before his death that his skin “looked yellowish in color.” The authorities brushed off those reports The poet Aron Atabek was Kazakhstan’s longest-serving political prisoner when he was released from prison in October 2021. Toward the end of his 15-year stretch, for a crime he always insisted he had not committed, he was ravaged by bouts of COVID and pneumonia. Weakened to near-death by his time in prison, he would go on to live for less than two months in freedom Stories of deaths in prison in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are legion. In Turkmenistan, many are convicted and never heard from again, leaving their loved ones to wonder Vlada Yermolcheva, an activist in Almaty, was among those who brought flowers to the Russian consulate. In a filmed message she voiced her grief over Navalny’s death and expressed the hope his passing would send a message to Kazakhstan’s government “We don’t want to see the same thing in Kazakhstan We want all political prisoners to be freed That is our main demand: freedom to all political prisoners,” she said Almaz Kumenov is an Almaty-based journalist Ayzirek Imanaliyeva is a journalist based in Bishkek 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 The principals of the schools extended their full support and thanks to the programme They expressed appreciation to UNODC for implementing the SFP programme in Kazakhstan They noted that the preliminary feedback from the courses has been very positive with both parents and teachers describing significant improvements in relationships with children in both the school and home environment It is noteworthy that all activities are undertaken in collaboration with government counterparts Pavlodar Regional Education Authority and the Republican Mental Health Centre of Kazakhstan Copyright©2025 UNODC, All Rights Reserved, Legal Notice The Dutch ship «Happy Dover» on 17th July set out from the South Korean port complex of the Hyundai Heavy Industries on a unique mission On board are two chemical reactors made for the Pavlodar oil refinery in Kazakhstan The «Happy Dover» will ship northwards to the Bering Strait and from there eastwards along the Northern Sea Route Russia’s new Arctic port on the Yamal Peninsula the two 600 ton reactors will be reloaded onto barges operated by the Irtysh Shipping Company and the voyage will subsequently proceed through the Gulf of Ob and up the Ob river and the and Irtysh river The shipload is expected to arrive in Pavlodar on 25 August, the Russian Trade Representative Office in South Korea informs on its Facebook page It is the first ever shipping operation of the kind Korean shipping companies will start using the Northern Sea Route on a regular basis» The chemical reactors are produced by the Hyundai Heavy Industries on an order from the Global Engineering Technology company and it is the SLK KUKBO which has organized logistics The shipping operation is historic also for the port of Sabetta it shows that the new Arctic port can be used for a wide range of purposes and that the Ural region consequently has got a new sea gate «This is a unique operation, which I hope will succeed and thus open a completely new page in the history of Ural logistics», Goloskokov says to TASS there is also another second similar shipping operation in the planning Key construction components for company SIBUR’s new major petrochemical plant in Tobolsk will be shipped to Sabetta and from there taken up the rivers Ob and Irtysh Published by: The Independent Barents Observer AS About us The Barents Observer follows the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press and the document Right and Duties of the Editor We report under full editorial independence and have no external interference Donate to our independent journalism Støtt oss via Vipps: 105 792 - Det betyr mye newstips@thebarentsobserver.com atle@thebarentsobserver.com thomas@thebarentsobserver.com☏ +47-905 73 143 denis@thebarentsobserver.com georgii@thebarentsobserver.com liza.vereykina@thebarentsobserver.com olesia@thebarentsobserver.com Privacy policy Almost 30 years into independence of Kazakhstan the government has still not decided to give Kazakh names to Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar located in the north of the country The reasons and possible repercussions of renaming the cities are discussed in the article by political scientist Alimana Zhanmukanova (Kazakhstan) exclusively for the analytical platform CABAR.asia Exceptions to this are Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar that neither have new Kazakh names nor Kazakh sounding versions of their original names The question is why did not the Kazakh government change the names of all the major cities in one wave right after gaining the independence To find an answer to this question it is important to study the ethnic Russian minority in Kazakhstan and Russian-Kazakh relationship and Russia’s foreign policy towards the post-Soviet states Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar: History and attempts to rename them The history of the two cities starts in the XVIII century when during the reign of Elizabeth of Russia it was recognized that in order to strengthen the Russian Empire’s Southern borders on the newly attained territories there was an urgent need to start building a new Ishim line Fortification fortresses were built and protected by Russian Empire’s militant groups – Cossacks Modern ethnic Russians residing in North Kazakhstan can trace back their roots to the Cossacks many of whom stayed and started families on this territory Pavlodar, one of the oldest cities in Northern Kazakhstan, was founded in 1720 as Koryakovsky fort The outpost was built in order to gain a foothold in new lands and protect the Cossacks from the attacks of the Dzungars Although the settlement was first called Koryakovsky fort it was later expanded and given the name of the city of Pavlodar the city of Pavlodar is named after the son of Emperor Alexander II Petropavlovsk was founded in 1752 as a military fortress of St Peter and was established on the site of the Kyzyl-Zhar tract The city was called after the holy apostles Peter and Paul who were regarded as patrons of the military Peter was considered to be the keeper of the keys to paradise which can be interpreted as Petropavlovsk being the gate to greater conquests to the South usually from the Russian speaking residents The most notable attempt happened in Petropavlovsk in 2010 when representatives of the government started the discussion and put forward the idea of renaming the city Usually very passive and apolitical residents of the city unexpectedly launched a full-fledged campaign against the renaming The residents mobilized very quickly and assertively using yellow ribbons as a sign of protest to express their desires and demands to allow Petropavlovsk to keep its name In Pavlodar the question of changing the name comes up frequently but never gets to the stage when the government or the public are serious in their pursuits When Astana was renamed to Nur-Sultan in 2019 it became evident that the government is capable of renaming a major city without any consultations with the residents and can do it quite swiftly such a scenario is unlikely in the case of Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar: possible problems touch upon not only the democratic aspects and the opinion of the civil society Here we are also talking about the risks regarding relations with the Russian Federation and the ethnic Russian minority in Kazakhstan which may also indicate threats to the territorial integrity of the country Factor of ethnic composition and identity It is important to note that at the dawn of Kazakhstan’s independence the country was highly diverse in terms of its ethnic composition. Despite the fact that Kazakhs were made the titular nationality, they remained a minority with only 39,6 percent, while ethnic Russians constituted 37,8 percent of the whole population This shaky ethnic composition of the newly independent state created the preconditions for conflict and strained relations between the two ethnic groups It is especially the case since most of ethnic Russians are concentrated in the north and east of Kazakhstan making up the majority in the cities neighboring Russia The fragile political situation in the early 1990s and the sudden Kazakhization prompted many ethnic Russians to question their citizenship and contemplate about an autonomy from the newly formed Kazakh state Several attempts were made in the strive to separate from Kazakhstan and join Russia or create their own Russian-centric autonomous territory Despite the organized movements and strong narrative the country’s first president Nursultan Nazarbayev and the ruling government managed to suppress and weaken separatist sentiments in Kazakhstan the government approached its nation building policy by adopting the idea of multiculturalism and unity of all under shared identity of Kazakhstanis handling ethnic questions with sensitivity the Russian issue is far from being resolved for Kazakhstan Even though there is a constant outflow of ethnic Russians from the country a significant share of them still resides in the cities on the Russian border in the city of Petropavlovsk ethnic Russians make up 59,28 percent while Kazakhs make up only 29,99 percent; in Pavlodar This break of percentage is similar in other borderline northern and eastern cities such as Kostanay the major cities on the referred territories The proponents of this idea argue that the assignment of Kazakh names to these cities will put an end to disputes and discussions between Kazakhs and Russians about the true ownership of these lands It is apparent that that the preservation of cities bearing the Russian names Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar in Kazakhstan gives the ethnic Russians a sense of belonging and understanding of their place in the country from the standpoint of power and ethnic ownership Erasing that will drastically impact relations between the ethnic Russian minority and the Kazakh government The Russian Federation has not only a physical proximity to Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar but also great influence and significant presence in the daily life of the residents. The Russian media, including Runet, are very popular among the population of both cities due to poor quality and almost lack of Kazakh media content Russian television was the only source of entertainment and remains so to this day for many it belongs to the South Ural railway of the Russian Railways and subordinates to Moscow It is unclear whether the Kazakh railways will take control over the station it is important to note that most of the ethnic Russians reside in the borderline cities like Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar which creates the situation where separatism and threat to territorial integrity is possible the response to rename the cities will depend on existing relations with the current Kazakh government But in case change of power in Kazakhstan or its foreign policy one cannot discount the possibility of a repetition [1] Zhanmukanova The Perception of North Kazakhstan’s Russian Community on Post-2014 Nation-Building [2] Ibid notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov and Murat Nurtleu where they attended a meeting of maslikhats of all levels in Pavlodar region Alikhan Smailov read out to the deputies a letter from the Head of State on the introduction of two candidates for the post of akim of the region Baikhanov Assain and Batyrguzhinov Serik During open voting 135 deputies out of 177 voted for Baikhanov At a subsequent meeting with the region activists the Prime Minister stressed that one of the top priorities of the Akimat's leadership is the modernization of infrastructure we had a breakdown in the heating network in Ekibastuz Thanks to the dedicated work of the heating specialists An investigation into the cause of the accident is now underway based on the results of which those responsible will be brought to justice The Akimat should take the issue under special control and ensure the stable passage of the heating season," Alikhan Smailov said the regional government faces the challenge of properly implementing the national projects to modernise rural health care and the Comfortable School project as well as measures to develop the mining sector the construction industry and other key sectors one of the most important problems in the region is the environmental situation caused by industrial enterprises Pavlodar region accounts for about 30% of the total amount of emissions in the country the oblast administration needs to focus on the work to reduce the negative impact of harmful industrial emissions on the environment "It is also important that industrial enterprises also carry out modernization of the production process and provide social support to their employees," Alikhan Smailov emphasized GM Aditya Mittal scored an unbeaten 8/10 to win Pavlodar Open 2023 He also made the exact same score few months when he won Astana Zhuldyzdary International Chess Festival Open A 2023 The 16-year-old finished a half point ahead of a strong field which featured 14 more GMs from all over the world He performed at 2722 and gained 18.4 Elo rating points GM Mihail Nikitenko and GM Dmitry Bocharov scored 7.5/10 each They were placed second and third respectively according to tie-breaks The total prize fund of the festival was 23000000 Tenge This is his second triumph of the year in Kazakhstan Overall he has won three tournaments in 2023 so far GM Aditya Mittal headed into the final round with a sole lead 7.5/9 He drew his final round game against GM Zhamsaran Tsydypov to become a clear champion Aditya won Astana Zhuldyzdary Open 2023 in July with an identical unbeaten 8/10 score and becoming a clear champion. The teenager bettered his previous triumph in Kazakhstan as he performed at 2722 which was 2668 last time It goes without saying that Kazakhstan is really a great place for India's 77th GM Vishy Anand congratulated Aditya Mittal on his triumph 21 IMs and 2 WIMs took part from 15 countries across the world in the Masters A (≥ 2000) category The tournament was organized by Kazakhstan Chess Federation and Chess Federation of Pavlodar Region in Pavlodar The time control was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1 Details Details Official site Tournament details We have launched the ChessBase India App. Check out this amazing resource! Android for now - Download the app now Follow Tweets by @ChessbaseIndia ChessBase India is proud to be the official partner of chessbase.com reporting on events in India Like our Facebook page for more Indian chess updates The all new ChessBase Premium Account which gives you access to ten amazing online ChessBase services like PlayChess Become a part of the ever-growing ChessBase India Youtube Channel. 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