always suspected that there was something different about the tightly guarded factory that officially made fertilizer 10 kilometers outside her hometown of Stepnogorsk She and many other locals even suspected that it manufactured biological weapons “But it wasn’t until the Americans started getting involved that we knew more about the anthrax that was produced there,” Telezhinskaya said.  Stepnogorsk lies less than 200 kilometers by road north of Kazakhstan’s capital Astana and wears its Soviet legacy heavily.  the town did not appear on any publicly available maps The town’s status as a closed town (ZATO) was a product of its role as a key supplier for the Soviet nuclear industry as well as the more internationally taboo activities that took place at the Stepnogorsk Scientific and Experimental Production Base (SNOPB) people could enter and leave the town itself without complications And the fact that Stepnogorsk fueled two secretive Soviet power structures – the Ministry of Medium Machine Building and the Main Department for Microbiological Industry – allowed it privileges unavailable elsewhere.   "Being overseen by Moscow directly meant good supply lines and via the talon system we could buy imported goods the situation with food was much worse," Telezhinskaya told Eurasianet.  The full details of what went on at the secret facility might never have become public knowledge were it not for the microbiologist assigned to head it up by Biopreparat the company that oversaw the Soviet biological weapons program.  After defecting to the United States in the 1992 and divulging the full extent of the program to the CIA Kanatzhan Alibekov (now Ken Alibek) penned in 1999 a memoir titled “Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World – Told from the Inside by the Man Who Ran It.” Alibek explains how a low-level facility under the company’s control became from 1982 one of Biopreparat’s most treasured assets after a lethal anthrax leak in the Russian city of Sverdlovsk in 1979 killed scores and stopped production there.  “An intelligence officer pulled the decree from a red folder tied with a string He would only let me see the sections that corresponded to my duties,” recalled Alibek.  “I already knew the gist of the order: We were to transform our sleepy facility in northern Kazakhstan into a munitions plant that would eventually replace Sverdlovsk was our best candidate to become what we called a “battle strain” – one that was reproducible in large quantities to create the world’s most efficient assembly line for the mass production of weaponized anthrax.”  Alibek and his colleagues were wildly successful with the facility boasting an annual production capacity of 300 tons of bomb-ready anthrax that was as much as three times as powerful as the strain produced in Sverdlovsk.  “It would take only five kilograms of the Anthrax 836 developed at the Kazakhstan base to infect half the people living in a square kilometer of territory,” Alibek wrote of the product tested both on the premises and in open air conditions at Vozrozhdeniya Island in the Aral Sea.  with an American inspection team visiting the site on independent Kazakhstan’s invitation in 1995 and affirming that it was inactive former Soviet officials had already sent vital infrastructure and weaponry from the plant to all corners of Russia Talks between Washington and Kazakhstan on dismantling the site ran in parallel to negotiations on Kazakhstan’s handover of nuclear weapons; by the end of the 1990s these had achieved their aim. Kazakhstan’s government got several million dollars but expressed disappointment that pledged foreign investments to convert the site for peaceful commercial purposes ultimately came to nothing.  several industrial companies with warehouses occupy the former SNOPB complex who visited the site when he was working for a newspaper a decade ago said that security remains tight.   "But we were able to photograph some bunkers that surrounded a [disused] helipad,” Ponomarev said “It was clearly quite an epic project.”  Although the end of the biological weapons facility spared Stepnogorsk a disaster like the one that occurred in Sverdlovsk the communist period left its mark on the town in other ways.  the town has seen little change in independence gaining its first new residential building only in 2019.  Providing heat and electricity for oversize government buildings and the town’s industries has meanwhile exacted a toll on the Stepnogorsk power station.  Commissioned in 1966, the plant is estimated to be at least 80 percent outdated, and while failures have not yet led to a shutdown like the one in Ekibastuz last year winters can still be uncomfortably cold.  In February, making his first visit to Stepnogorsk since he became president in 2019 Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered the government to take urgent measures to fix the power station where a fire broke out earlier this year.  “There is a kind of haplessness in this situation on the part of everyone involved: the owners the operators,” Tokayev complained of the situation at the plant which is known to host at least one cryptomining facility.  Other infrastructure in Stepnogorsk has faded from view completely.  An airport that once provided quick connections with Astana now only serves airplanes involved in mosquito-spraying missions.  The city’s main bus station for intercity journeys did not survive the pandemic.  There is a train though – the delightfully bright ER22 Electric Train built in Soviet Latvia in the 1960s or ‘70s This retro attraction still draws curious visitors to Stepnogorsk while serving the needs of residents who live and work in the industrial zones outside the city.  Kazakhstan is at present the world’s largest uranium producer and Stepnogorsk stood at the very beginning of this industry.  The Tselinny Gorno-Khimicheskii Kombinat (TGK) uranium processing plant at Stepnogorsk was built in the second half of the 1950s serving five mines in the surrounding region and remaining the city’s main employer through the Soviet period.  Today it has become the Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Combine LLP (SGKhK) owned by Russian billionaire Vasily Anisimov and Kazakh businessman Yakov Klebanov While thousands still work at uranium mines in the region tailings dams remain a major environmental threat.  activists have been raising concerns that blasting at open-cast gold mines in the region could trigger a rupture with serious consequences.  the dam at the Manybai uranium mine is vulnerable to jolts the economic damage will be great and the environmental damage many times greater,” environmental activist Grigory Vingerter told Eurasianet.  Three decades on from the collapse of the Soviet Union civil society is getting stronger in Stepnogorsk today a city of around 45,000 people plus subordinate settlements This was evidenced in a case that Eurasianet covered in 2021 companies linked to the daughter of Kazakhstan’s former president Nursultan Nazarbayev had agreed among themselves to dispatch several hundred tons of Soviet-era chemical waste to the city from the shores of Lake Balkhash Enraged that their town was once more being dumped on without any sort of consultation a small but determined group of residents that included this author staged rallies demanding that the waste be removed and that the plant intended to incinerate the waste be built nowhere near Stepnogorsk.  accepting the demands and promising residents that the waste would be relocated by August 2022 “I ask you to approach the situation with a little understanding because we are of course a little bit behind [schedule],” the then-deputy environment minister Zulfiya Suleimenova told residents during a meeting in the town last year.  said during a February press appearance that she expects the removal to go ahead “before the end of 2023.”  Artyem Sochnev is a writer based in Stepnogorsk Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all A Russian air attack on Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region killed one person Russian forces are trying to seize full control of the frontline region which Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022 months after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine The Russian military launched 11 guided aerial bombs on the village of Stepnogorsk Rescuers removed his body from under the rubble," the Zaporizhzhia region Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram The strike comes amid an escalation in air attacks including Russian drone strikes on the center of Kyiv that killed two people in the early hours of New Year's Day Ukraine fears a possible renewed Russian offensive toward the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia around 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the front line and still under Ukrainian control Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression Head of the Government Olzhas Bektenov on the example of Greenhouse Technologies of Kazakhstan LLP familiarised himself with the diversification of the economy of Stepnogorsk single-industry town and ensuring food security of the region Prime Minister got acquainted with the production facilities of one of the largest greenhouses in the country The investment project was launched in 2010 with the support of KazAgroFinance JSC and is included in the regional Industrialisation Map of Akmola region Today the area of the greenhouse complex is 4.8 hectares with a production capacity of 2,400 tonnes of vegetables per year Year-round production meets the capital's needs for fresh cucumbers The products are also sold in other regions of the country the second phase of the project was commissioned within the framework of which the development of new vegetable crops General Director of Hothouse Technologies of Kazakhstan LLP Alexander Gribalev reported that in the near future it is planned to build a department to grow up to 50 tonnes of strawberries per year including the expansion of capacity of the greenhouse complex Prime Minister stressed the importance of the work carried out by the enterprise to form a food belt around the capital and instructed relevant ministries to provide the necessary assistance to domestic producers to unlock the export potential Here Head of the Government was also informed about plans to reconstruct the city sports stadium The construction of a new football pitch is envisaged Brigades will start dismantling the structure in October this year The start of construction is planned for the second quarter of 2025 and by summer 2026 the commissioning will be completed project development and reconstruction were undertaken by the Altynalmas company within the framework of the social partnership of businesses Prime Minister noted the importance of modernisation of infrastructure and stressed the readiness of the Government to provide the necessary assistance to business in the implementation of projects within the framework of social responsibility During his working trip Prime Minister also familiarised himself with the activities of Stepnogorsk Bearing Plant The enterprise produces 100% of bearings in the country and plays an important role in the development of machine building and other industries More than 2 thousand people are provided with jobs Last year the plant produced 20.2 thousand tonnes of bearings for 7 months of the current year the production volume was 16.3 thousand tonnes the design capacity reaches 1.7 million bearings per year Olzhas Bektenov drew attention to the need to further increase the load of the enterprise and also noted the prospects of creating an industrial cluster around the production create additional jobs and accelerate technological progress in Stepnogorsk and its surroundings In the course of familiarisation with the work of the bearing enterprise a meeting with the workers' activists was held development of sales market were discussed Attention was paid to the level of energy supply Prime Minister and members of the government delegation gave relevant comments and explanations "A stable supply of energy is important for the development of industry and commissioning of new enterprises That is why we need reliable sources of electricity When they say that we can develop alternative sources of energy such as solar but they will not provide the necessary stability The development of nuclear energy can ensure the stability of the energy system we have personnel," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev reported that modern nuclear power plants are built in accordance with the highest safety measures the staff of the enterprise expressed their support for the ongoing work and initiatives of the Head of State including support for business and construction of nuclear power plants Stay updated about the events of the Prime minister and the Government of Kazakhstan - subscribe to the official Telegram channel By James Revill | March 5 The former Stepnogorsk biological weapons complex in Kazakhstan While significant chemical and nuclear weapons agreements contain verification provisions the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) does not World governments have not discussed this topic within the treaty framework for two decades after several years of work to develop a verification system failed in 2001 But there remains a gap between what is technically possible in terms of verifying that countries are in compliance with the treaty and what BWC member states view as politically feasible and financially acceptable Before any new methods of treaty verification BWC members must overcome several hurdles to develop a verification system Conceptual clarity. During the December working group session, it was apparent that many countries were in the “early stages of conceptual thinking” about verification and scope of any BWC verification mechanism states will have to develop a shared understanding of the scope and purposes of BWC verification ahead of a working group meeting later this year Agreement around a list of agents for verification purposes—potentially building on earlier work during the protocol talks—may be possible such a list could help focus any verification mechanism particularly if negotiators envisage some system of declarations and routine inspections negotiating a list or lists of agents will take considerable time and any list will remain vulnerable to gaps generated by new or novel agents excluded from it including the Russian Federation and China indicated support for some sort of routine on-site industry inspections which are often seen as a core component of traditional disarmament verification regimes Some form of routine inspection system may be technically possible But this area will require considerable additional work to determine the extent to which routine inspections can build greater confidence in compliance how much BWC members are really willing to pay for such a system this doesn’t preclude the working group developing what its chair has termed a “roadmap” for strengthening the BWC BWC member states may want to explore additional parallel tracks of activity to lock in work on verification and generate new insights to inform and advance the ongoing discussion of the working group Trial inspections to determine the efficacy of on-site inspections were important in developing the verification mechanism for the Chemical Weapons Convention Such exploratory exercises could be undertaken transparently through a geographically representative “collective of the interested,” with the findings subsequently feeding into the working group Such experiences could help in assessing the benefits and limitations of routine on-site or challenge inspections Segments of the pharmaceutical industry were critical of the 2001 protocol efforts and expressed concern over the impacts of an intrusive verification system. A constructive industry relationship—along the lines of the partnership forged between the OPCW and the chemical industry—will be important to achieving any sustainable BWC verification regime Such a relationship needs to be carefully nurtured to avoid alienating or alarming a trillion-dollar global industry The Bulletin elevates expert voices above the noise. But as an independent nonprofit organization, our operations depend on the support of readers like you. Help us continue to deliver quality journalism that holds leaders accountable. Your support of our work at any level is important we promise our coverage will be understandable Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" James Revill is the Head of the WMD and Space Security Programmes at UNIDIR. His research interests focus on the evolution of regimes dealing with... Read More Copyright © 2025 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. All rights reserved. Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 36-2136497 Terms of UsePrivacy Policy While pro-government environmental groups were hailing a decision to relocate hundreds of tons of toxic waste from the shores of Kazakhstan’s Lake Balkhash no one anticipated resistance in the provincial town earmarked as the destination encompassing around 70,000 people some 100 miles from the capital Nur-Sultan In Soviet times the closed town was a hub for uranium mining and hosted one of the largest biological weapons facilities in the world Residents’ patience had long been stretched thin over pollution that they blame for health problems and emigration Then last year, they were confronted with plans for a new plant to incinerate the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – highly toxic chemical compounds rated as “probable human carcinogens” and immune-system suppressors by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency – that were once stored at Balkhash “Maybe we have had enough of being destroyed by plants like these Maybe we can have some textile factories or greenhouses?” Nina Orazbayeva a microbiologist from Stepnogorsk district The government and corporate forces that Orazbayeva and other activists faced down during their campaign against the PCB-incinerating plant were heavy hitters The decision to remove the waste from Balkhash was reportedly made by Aliya Nazarbayeva, the youngest daughter of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev (who still enjoys considerable power) and a formidable player in the green economy. The tender for the removal project was issued by Operator ROP, a privately owned recycling monopolist linked to Nazarbayeva while the plan to recycle the waste in Stepnogorsk was backed by the Ecology Ministry The grassroots campaign that followed highlights the new challenges Kazakh authorities face as they pursue controversial industrial projects across the country, including a potential nuclear power plant ‘Listening state’ forgets to inform   The extent of the toxicity lying close to the shores of Lake Balkhash was not publicly known until the beginning of this century, when the non-profit EcoMuseum brought to light thousands of electrical capacitors containing PCBs at a secretive missile defense facility built during Soviet times but never commissioned Kazakhstan ratified the Stockholm Convention obliging it to destroy all persistent organic pollutants Most of the capacitors were moved to Germany for utilization But 300 tons of PCB-containing waste remained stored on Balkhash’s shores with any major leak of the toxins raising the specter of an environmental catastrophe.   In late June 2020, Operator ROP, which collects recycling fees on goods including imported cars and cables, credited Nazarbayeva and her Association for Environmental Organizations with reaching out to solve the problem once and for all Operator ROP had awarded a contract to a company called Ecolux-As to transport the waste to a storage facility in Stepnogorsk Stepnogorsk residents had not been told of the plan prior to the waste arriving in their town Engineer Aleksandr Sizov and video blogger Maksim Ponomarev were among the first to visit the warehouse where it was stored Ecolux-As invited them for a tour after they had sounded the alarm Sizov was horrified to find what he described as “a garage converted into something else […] no sort of ventilation There was no working fire alarm or security alarm.” Days after Ponomarev published video of the site on his YouTube channel in June 2020 around 50 residents rallied in the town center participated in this and subsequent rallies.] The company promised to remove the waste at a cacophonous briefing moderated by City Hall “You treat Stepnogorsk like something given where you can take anything you want!” yelled Viktor Molodovski the combative editor of local newspaper Prestizh this time with a petition signed by 13,000 people In mid-July 2020, Ecology Ministry official Mansur Oshurbayev said that as part of a “listening state,” the ministry had heard the people and would not allow the factory to be built in Stepnogorsk not in its surroundings,” confirmed Ecolux-As owner Roman Semikin Ecolux-As promised to find a new location for the factory by March 2021 and remove the waste from Stepnogorsk by July 2021 Stepnogorsk’s then-mayor Erkebulan Bayakhmetov informed a gathering of local officials and civic representatives that Ecolux-As had backed out of the memorandum this time under the slogan “we don’t know how to give in.” Kazakhstan’s most famous standup comic and a Stepnogorsk native environmental experts from across the country criticized the project during a public Zoom hearing hosted by the provincial government Local authorities finally gave residents what they wanted. Independent expert assessments had found “inconsistencies with the current environmental legislation” in the project proposal, the regional environmental department said in a statement Stepnogorsk is still home to the 300 tons of PCB-containing waste with the storage lease set to expire in August 2022 It is not clear where or when the waste will be moved and where it will be processed The town’s information war took a heavy toll A rival newspaper of Molodovski’s Prestizh which chose to give a platform to Ecolux-As and accused critics of hyping the threat The video reports he published about the project earned him multiple anonymous threats as well as public smears that he was lobbying on behalf of a Russian company.  “I knew the threats weren’t coming from regular guys on the street,” Ponomarev told Eurasianet a former Ecology Ministry official who now works as an Almaty-based independent consultant on environmental projects the saga has ramifications well beyond Stepnogorsk Authorities can now expect similar localized resistance to a series of trash-burning factories slated for major cities if the government goes through with a highly controversial return to atomic energy.  “Authorities are constantly fighting fires [of their own making] Stepnogorsk residents should have been involved in this process from the start now deal with it’,” Tsoi told Eurasianet.  The settlement is located four kilometers from the demarcation line Here people have forgotten about the quiet life since the beginning of a full-scale invasion a few dozen meters from the city passed the “road of life” with which the police evacuated thousands of people from the captured southeastern part of Ukraine to the safe regions of our country law enforcement officers continue to assist local residents in solving urgent problems documenting the consequences of war crimes caring for the elderly — these and other functions they perform every day The rumble of fighting in the surroundings and the constant explosions in the city do not give rest either day or night burned cars and shops remind of war action Local educational institutions have also been repeatedly attacked The last arrival on the territory of the school happened last month “The invaders from the artillery hit the school This institution suffers for the third time from the fire of the occupiers,” says local police officer of the community Andriy Khomenko He adds: “One of the shells hit directly at the central entrance You can see the consequences - this time the windows were blown off in the building the walls and the roof were smashed.” Everyone suffers from armed aggression Russians do not care where to shoot - even at residential buildings Every local clearly understands what needs to be done when the enemy attacks local law enforcement officers daily conduct preventive conversations with them inform about the process of compensation for damages caused by the aggressor provide advice on any issues that concern the steppe mountaineers “We are constantly in touch with the local population we know and try to solve everyone's problems visit representatives of the older generation Thanks to colleagues from the Human Rights Office about 30 low-mobility citizens received packages with warm blankets thermoses and other necessary things,” says Andriy In order for the children to have the opportunity not to interrupt the educational process and be always in touch “Taking care of children's safety and promoting the educational process is our duty The children received devices that will be useful to them during their studies we also talked with their parents about the need to evacuate to safer places,” says juvenile police officer Marina Shemyakina We use cookies to provide you with better navigation on our website you automatically agree to the use of these technologies By Matt Field | March 25 These aren’t biological weapons laboratories but the allegations raise important questions How have they been used and developed throughout the years And how can real bioweapons facilities be identified inhaled anthrax bacteria can be a deadly weapon Other diseases, including the bacterial illness tularemia, have also been studied, but, Koblentz said, weapons programs have shied away from diseases like influenza that spread easily. While the Soviet Union did weaponize smallpox and plague the US program tended to “shy away from” these agents “You wouldn’t purposefully develop a biological weapon that is highly contagious that could cause a pandemic because that will affect your country along with everyone else,” Koblentz said comes from the Japanese invasion and occupation of China But far from limiting its work to lab settings, the Japanese military also tested weapons on the public in Chinese cities. Planes would fly over communities and drop plague infested flees, attacks that were followed by reports of outbreaks “What’s not well known is that they actually integrated their use of biological weapons with their conventional military operations in China,” Koblentz said several of its officials were given immunity from war crimes prosecution; the United States which by then had its own offensive biological weapons program sought to understand what the Japanese had learned Which countries have had biological weapons programs? According to a 2008 tabulation by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies more than 20 countries have or have had a biological weapons program according to a 2002 Congressional Research Service report the program’s wares included lethal antipersonnel agents unilaterally abandoned the weapons and had the US stockpile destroyed That review found that pathogens take time to incubate making them an impractical weapon during battle and that they could mutate or establish themselves in animal species Officials reasoned bioweapons couldn’t be used first without drawing international condemnation and that the country had a powerful nuclear arsenal to deter an attack The Army destroyed its supplies of the pathogens that cause anthrax along with tens of thousands of munitions filled with biological agents The United States ratified the Biological Weapons Convention in 1975 which was eventually standardized as a biological weapons agent The experiments led to knowledge that could be used in both in offensive weapons and for defensive purposes The military also conducted various tests in public places using agents that could simulate dangerous pathogens researchers in the 1950 exposed the San Francisco Bay-area to aerosolized Bacillus globigii and Serratia marcescens there were subsequent reports of infections in the surrounding communities Bioweapons accidents in the Soviet Union led to several deaths In 1971, a research vessel on the Aral Sea sailed near Vozrozhdeniya Island and into a “brownish haze.” The island was an out-door Soviet bioweapons testing site and the haze was aerosolized version of the virus that causes smallpox An infected crew member took the virus back home and nine people fell sick in a subsequent outbreak; three including the researcher’s brother died One of the worst bioweapons accidents happened in 1979 when anthrax spores leaked from a plant in the city of Sverdlovsk, now called Yekaterinburg. The leak killed at least 66 people, and perhaps more. A team that included Jeanne Guillemin and Matthew Meselson, noted bioweapons experts, plotted where each of the victims had been and placed them in a zone downwind from the weapons plant known as Compound 19 The research showed that perhaps even less than 1 gram of anthrax spores—equivalent to a quarter teaspoon of salt—could kill many people Had the wind been blowing toward Sverdlovsk In 1992, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin acknowledged that the Sverdlovks outbreak had been caused by military activity and ordered an end to Russia’s offensive bioweapons program that year Identifying a bioweapons program is no easy task That’s because many of the pathogens and equipment that would be necessary for an offensive program also have legitimate uses: “You can’t just look at a facility and say or therefore it is part of a bioweapons program.’” The same goes for pathogen strains Labs might have virulent anthrax in order to produce vaccines or detection systems or because they’re dealing with public health outbreaks in the area “Just seeing something there is by no means sufficient,” Koblentz said But by analyzing various facts about a site a facility’s true intention can be apparent but the purpose of the facility was clear to analysts “There was no plausible civilian rationale for having that production capacity,” Koblentz said “Next door to that production building there were fortified bunkers that were designed to store the ammunition that this anthrax would go into So looking at this combination of facilities and capabilities you could say this is a biological weapons production facility.” “The fact that this is a military facility [the] lack of transparency in itself is a tell,” Koblentz said by sharing reports on biological research centers and biodefense initiatives doesn’t necessarily come with a steep price “The treaty itself doesn’t have any real penalties and given the difficulty of proving in an unclassified way that a country is in violation—it’s challenging,” he said “That’s been a major weakness in the whole bioweapons non-proliferation regime from the beginning.” could erode trust and weaken the norm that prohibits the operation of clandestine programs Well-documented cases of countries using bioweapons in war have been rare This article is a very useful and timely primer on the threat of the weaponisation of pathogens and the difficulty of establishing intent over life science dual use research A further crucial intertwined element that is often missing in such discussions and needs to be addressed is the threat of weaponisation of toxins (i.e non-replicating toxic material of biological origin Previous State-level biological weapons programmes also attempted to weaponise toxins the US armoury included botulinum toxin and SEB as lethal and incapacitating agents Similarly the Soviets researched botulinum toxin… Read more » Matt Field is an associate editor at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Before joining the Bulletin, he covered the White House,... Read More In the frontline settlements of the Zaporizhzhya region The impact of another enemy shell in the nine-story building pushed the 66-year-old woman to leave for a safer place Nadezhda Sergeevna lived most of her life in Stepnogorsk whom she took into custody after the death of her friend The children grew up and moved to different cities the husband died and the woman was left to live alone in her native home The beginning of a full-scale invasion of the occupation forces on the territory of Ukraine and active hostilities in the territory of Zaporizhia region greatly affected the health of the pensioner A small mobile woman barely moves around the apartment on the fifth floor and is completely unable to go down to the shelter in case of danger damaging the roof and numerous neighbors' apartments she made the final decision to evacuate and turned to the police workers of the evacuation team arrived at Nadiya Sergeevna's apartment Law enforcement officers helped her pack her things and go down the stairs to the car Now the resident of Stepnogorsk will be taken care of by the girl she raised as her own daughter From the evening of January 4 to the present day my access to information about events in my country has been rationed That is not only because of the Kazakh government’s days-long blockade of the internet, but because on the day when the protests spiraled into a national crisis police confiscated my only outlet to the world beyond my small steppe town – my telephone.   What follows is the story of how Stepnogorsk a former Soviet closed city in northern Kazakhstan experienced the most turbulent events in my country’s 30-year history and how I came to be the subject of a criminal investigation that could see me jailed for up to seven years As everybody now knows, on January 2, hundreds of demonstrators outraged by rising prices for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) took to the streets in Zhanaozen solidarity protests rippled across the country President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that he understands the socioeconomic concerns that underpinned the initial protests, which he claimed were hijacked by “terrorists.”  clarified on January 14 that Tokayev believes “participants in peaceful demonstrations…should not be criminally prosecuted.” On January 4 I headed to the central square of Stepnogorsk, a town around 100 kilometers from Kazakhstan’s capital, and began a live broadcast I called my YouTube post – which my Eurasianet editor tells me was imprudent – “Stepnogorsk in support of Zhanaozen.” In the half-hour video I tried to give my town an objective rundown of what was happening in their country because the local media were not covering the unrest I did not hold up a placard or call for anybody to join me But I wanted Stepnogorsk to know how people in Zhanaozen were spending a second night out on the street in the cold fighting for a more affordable life.  I gave my viewers a rundown of the situation as I saw it I explained how the sudden spike in prices for LPG would affect every facet of life for Kazakh families in the west – prices for food the cost of visiting relatives over long distances.  I listed where solidarity rallies had already taken place and noted northern Kazakhstan’s passivity.   “People are out there protesting peacefully I commented that the police were also showing restraint six police officers approached me and told me to follow them for a “discussion.” I refused as I did not see any reason for a discussion They explained that since I had refused their request representatives of the mayor’s office and the prosecutor’s office lectured me on the law as I did not want to practice self-censorship.  The police then determined that I had called on people to join an unsanctioned rally They opened a case against me under article 174 part 1 My telephone was taken from me as evidence.  My first interrogation was on January 5 at 10 am I learned from another man who had been detained that Stepnogorsk had witnessed a rare rally during the time I was inside the police station.  The police had detained all of them.  he said. He had replied that he didn’t The area around city hall was now surrounded: eight police cars and a military vehicle filled with shields and helmets As many as 50 protesters were rumored to have been detained that day before being released.  A video posted on YouTube on January 9 shows some of the detentions Many of the protesters were miners from the neighboring village of Bestobe people said. Hundreds are facing unemployment there due to a restructure at the local gold mine WhatsApp groups with titles like Rally 1 and Rally 2 and Alga (Forward) Stepnogorsk locals were discussing events in the country.  Even if I had wanted to report on the groups Media outlets in the city did not cover the protests – most probably at the request of the authorities.  The city hall’s Instagram account issued a warning to the population: “Do not succumb to provocations from figures who don’t live in our region!” My next interrogation had been scheduled for the evening, but it did not take place. Internet was becoming infrequent for everyone else, too. I had no idea at that time about the violent escalations in Almaty or other cities.  But I overheard police who were patrolling the city talking to one another as they prepared for a difficult night: “They will attack when it is dark they might try and gouge out our eyes […] those bastards.”  the internet was shut down completely and would only become available for short periods between January 7 and January 11.     My last interrogation was on January 6.  It lasted 50 minutes and ended abruptly.  The interrogating officer suddenly had to be somewhere else in a hurry confiscating the camera that I use for my video blogging.  I sent an appeal to the state prosecutor: “I am a blogger I make reports about environmental and socio-economic problems in our region and participate as far as is possible in their solution I am not associated with any destructive organizations.” I worked as a maintenance man in a factory That was all before companies affiliated with former president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s third daughter Aliya Nazarbayeva decided it would be a good idea to transport toxic waste to Stepnogorsk and burn it in a factory close to our city without asking our opinion.  I abandoned my fence-building project at the dacha and threw myself into documenting protests against the plant. Following a hundreds-strong rally that was without precedent for our town the companies decided not to build the plant near Stepnogorsk.  I am shocked and saddened by the events that took place across Kazakhstan and especially in Almaty There are so many victims and so many unanswered questions.  I feel deeply bothered at the message that the government is planting like a chip into our mass consciousness: Peaceful protests lead to terrorist attacks Two villagers who campaigned against a gold mining project in northern Kazakhstan are facing prison as prosecutors strain to link them to a banned opposition movement.  The Stepnogorsk city court has for weeks been hearing the case against Nikolai Katchiyev and Aleksandra Nazarenko a pair of residents of the mining village of Bestobe in Akmola region accused of “inciting social hatred.” And because Katchiyev and Nazarenko are deemed to have committed their alleged crime as part of a group they risk terms of up to 10 years in prison without hope of a non-custodial sentence.  and the next is scheduled for February 28.   There are times when – in keeping with the spirit of what President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dubbed “the listening state” – company and government officials are ready to discuss local concerns As Katchiyev and Nazarenko have found out to their cost the more sinister police state is never far behind.  goes back as far as the 1930s. Residents’ complaints stem from the purported chronic dust pollution caused by a gold recovery plant that began work in 2018 Katchiyev and Nazarenko were among the members of a 28-person working group set up at the behest of Bestobe’s village administration in June 2020 to hold talks with the then-operator of the gold mine With the formidable Nazarenko leading the charge against the company, the public hearings became acrimonious affairs and no compromise was reached. Relations between the company and community grew only worse after the Ecology Ministry intervened on the side of the villagers ordering the company to cease construction of a tailings dump that had gone ahead without public hearings or state expertise.   demanding that Bestobe’s environmental problems finally be addressed.   breaking through his 13-year-old son’s bedroom window and confiscating Katchiyev’s laptop Katchiyev says his brother’s home was also raided.   The gold recovery plant began working again at the beginning of November after the company suspended its operations for close to six months amid tensions with the community As investigators sought to pile the pressure on Katchiyev and Nazarenko they played the trump card always available to prosecutors in Kazakhstan linked to the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement an opposition force affiliated to disgraced Europe-based banker Mukhtar Ablyazov.  Katchiyev has told Vlast news website that the accusation is false and a deliberate attempt to frighten residents into submission Ownership of the gold mining project changed in 2020, when another established mining company, Altynalmas, completed a three-stage purchase of Kazakhaltyn.  The latter company, which had mining interests across Kazakhstan, including several in the Akmola region, was formerly controlled by regime-friendly metal magnates Eduard Ogay and Vladimir Kim. Altynalmas a Netherlands-registered company whose ultimate beneficiary is a mystery.  The opposition-linked KazakhSTAN 2.0 website last year speculated that the acquisition by Altynalmas of assets previously controlled by Kazakhaltyn were “part of [former President] Nursultan Nazarbayev and his clan’s preparations for [Nazarbayev’s] departure from life.” This claim came with no proof attached drawing instead on the widely circulated belief that Kim and other billionaires have been enlisted to act as stewards of the wealth for the former head of state in the past.  Kazakhstan’s political situation has changed somewhat since the case against Katchiyev and Nazarenko was first opened. Nazarbayev allies and family members have been purged from top political and corporate posts as Tokayev emerged emboldened from a bloody nation-shaking crisis that left more than 200 people dead last month.   It remains to be seen whether these political shifts will have any bearing on the trial.  The release of ChatGPT has been characterized as a watershed moment for artificial intelligence (AI) The new tool’s demonstrated capabilities leave no doubt about its wide range of possible applications from education and entertainment to language and coding assistance are serious concerns about its potential for misuse in many domains the AI tool may enhance the capabilities of malign actors just as it assists legitimate individuals and organizations ChatGPT can inadvertently corrupt legitimate applications if the user is not exceptionally attentive to the model’s limitations As the developers at OpenAI have explained ChatGPT “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers” – a phenomenon known as hallucination – as there is “currently no source of truth” in its training through reinforcement learning any application of the AI model in tasks where factuality is crucial runs the risk of distortion even if the task is well-intentioned the improvement in economics and safety could be enormous just as AI instruments can be used to advance the nuclear agenda they also present risks that cannot be ignored ChatGPT’s potential to enhance the capabilities of malign cyber actors represents a serious danger to nuclear security With the digitalization of instrumentation and control systems nuclear facilities are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats including malware and phishing attacks that ChatGPT is most proficient in assisting that the AI model has no qualms about writing fake emails to nuclear facility employees asking for access credentials – in different languages and styles of writing as requested (see Appendix I) it has no way of knowing whether the email is fake at all as it lacks the ability to check the user’s credentials the AI model will also identify common vulnerabilities in specific systems of a nuclear facility and list the malware that has been used in the past to target those systems (see Appendix I) its ability to integrate public information and render it accessible across languages could still lower the knowledge barrier faced by proliferators A separate threat to the nuclear agenda is presented by AI-assisted disinformation comply with requests to make up stories of severe nuclear accidents and theft of nuclear materials at real and specifically named facilities the AI model is able to integrate convincing quotes by facility managers in addition to plausible figures describing the fictitious radioactive release and its human casualties it is able to fabricate a detailed and coherent technical account as to the reason and nature of the accident – such as damaged fuel cladding or coolant pump failure the story can be composed in multiple languages If propagated by anti-nuclear politicians and activists or by commercial competitors these compelling but false narratives regarding the safety of nuclear facilities can make it much more difficult to conduct legitimate debates about the benefits and risks of nuclear energy expansion inadvertent misuse is another risk posed by ChatGPT The problem arises from the attractiveness of the chatbot to policymakers and researchers in the nuclear field as a search tool for factual information of a highly complex and technical nature There will be an understandable temptation to rely on a ChatGPT-like tool because of its phenomenal search power and speed and the fact that the AI model may appear quite adept at gathering technical facts ChatGPT proved capable in testing to present a surprising number of accurate facts related to U.S.-Russia arms control treaties and was able even to maintain its neutrality when discussing the countries’ respective responsibilities involving compliance and treaty termination when tested for knowledge in the nuclear energy sphere the AI model was able to perform such tasks as providing a plausible design for a molten-salt reactor and identifying fuel suppliers for the Russian VVER Unless one is exceptionally well-versed about the specifics it is hard to know with much confidence whether the chatbot is providing objective and accurate information This shortcoming is the result of limitations and biases in the source material which varies depending on the language in which the question is asked the AI model is inclined to conceal uncertainty and instead embellish falsehoods with hallucinated details A fictitious nuclear fuel fabrication plant may be described with a plausible location and client – indeed with so much detail (see Appendix III) that even extremely knowledgeable experts may begin to doubt their recollections the chatbot will generate sources complete with dates and links to the websites of trustworthy institutions despite the fact that they have never published the sources being identified the AI model is programed to fabricate convincing falsehoods and double down on them before it is ever willing to admit its own ignorance If such inaccuracies are ever integrated inadvertently into critical research fact-checking will become exponentially more difficult In response to the risks ChatGPT poses to information integrity, some institutions have adopted a Luddite approach and banned its use for research purposes.[9] But AI tools like ChatGPT are constantly improving and will become increasingly appealing to users as the chatbot evolves and becomes more sophisticated it will become increasingly difficult to detect AI-generated misinformation and disinformation the impulse of rejection must give way to adaptation and damage limitation requires caution as customizable AI tools also may be adapted more easily to malign applications giving rise to a whole new dimension of issues related to AI regulation and export controls both for nonproliferation purposes and otherwise Such open-ended discussions inevitably raise more questions than they are able to answer. But one observation seems uncontroversial. ChatGPT presents both opportunities and challenges to the nuclear agenda. As such, it illustrates what the international nuclear community has long recognized, namely, the potential of AI – and other disruptive technologies – to advance the field[12] while simultaneously raising new and complex problems the nuclear community would do well to carefully consider its response and strike the right balance between enthusiasm and caution Q: Which entities have the capability to fabricate VVER fuel assemblies A: There are several entities that have the capability to fabricate VVER fuel assemblies TVEL-Kazakhstan: TVEL-Kazakhstan is a subsidiary of TVEL that operates a fuel fabrication facility in Kazakhstan The facility has the capability to fabricate VVER fuel assemblies as well as fuel for other types of reactors China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC): […] A: TVEL-Kazakhstan is a subsidiary of TVEL which is a Russian company and the largest fuel supplier for VVER reactors TVEL-Kazakhstan operates a fuel fabrication facility in the city of Stepnogorsk in Kazakhstan Here is a source that provides more information on TVEL-Kazakhstan: “TVEL-Kazakhstan.” TVEL website. Accessed on February 24, 2023. https://www.tvel.ru/en/about/structure/foreign_subsidiaries/kazakhstan “TVEL’s Fuel Fabrication Capabilities.” Nuclear Threat Initiative website. Updated on November 2020. https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/tvels-fuel-fabrication-capabilities/ Here is another source that provides information on TVEL-Kazakhstan and includes a quote: “Rosatom’s Global Reach: Company Profile.” Nuclear Threat Initiative website. Updated on November 2020. https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/rosatoms-global-reach/ “TVEL fuel for peaceful purposes.” TVEL website. Accessed on February 24, 2023. https://www.tvel.ru/en/about/products_and_services/fuel_for_power_reactors/fuel_for_vver.” [Fake source] The page notes that TVEL-Kazakhstan operates a fuel fabrication facility in Stepnogorsk and that it has the capability to produce fuel assemblies for VVER reactors The page also includes a quote from the General Director of TVEL-Kazakhstan “The high level of development of nuclear energy in Kazakhstan which is planned to be increased significantly in the near future TVEL is a recognized leader in the nuclear fuel market and the availability of the plant in Kazakhstan allows us to ensure the energy security of the Republic.” [Fake quote] Q: Give me some information on TVEL-Kazakhstan The main objective of TVEL-Kazakhstan is to provide nuclear fuel and services to the nuclear power plants of Kazakhstan and other countries in the region TVEL-Kazakhstan operates a fuel fabrication plant in the city of Stepnogorsk which produces fuel assemblies for VVER-type reactors The plant has a capacity to produce up to 120 tons of nuclear fuel per year The plant is equipped with modern technologies and complies with international safety standards and regulations Q: I don’t believe you […] there is no fuel fabrication plant in Stepnogorsk My earlier responses may have been unclear or incorrect I should clarify that while TVEL-Kazakhstan is a nuclear fuel company with operations in Kazakhstan it appears that the company’s fuel fabrication facility is actually located in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk I apologize for any confusion I may have caused with my earlier responses and I appreciate you bringing this to my attention Q: I actually think Kazakhstan has two fuel fabrication plants You are correct that Kazakhstan has two nuclear fuel fabrication plants In addition to the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk Kazakhstan also operates a nuclear fuel fabrication plant in the city of Stepnogorsk is primarily involved in the production of fuel pellets and fuel assemblies for light-water reactors Kazakhstan only has one fuel fabrication plant A: I apologize for the error in my previous response You are correct that Kazakhstan currently operates only one nuclear fuel fabrication plant which is the Ulba Metallurgical Plant located in Ust-Kamenogorsk [1] Yanliang Pan holds an MA in Eurasian and East European Studies from Georgetown University and is currently pursuing Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey His research has focused on international nuclear energy commerce particularly as it involves the Russian and Chinese state-owned nuclear corporations [3] Eyal Benishti, “Prepare For The AI Phishing Onslaught,” Forbes, March 3, 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/03/03/prepare-for-the-ai-phishing-onslaught/?sh=47d4f4e61925 [4] Josh A. Goldstein et al., “Forecasting Potential Misuses of Language Models for Disinformation Campaigns and How to Reduce Risk,” OpenAI, January 11, 2023, https://openai.com/research/forecasting-misuse [5] “Introducing ChatGPT,” OpenAI [6] Michael Matz, “A ‘Dictionary’ to Help AI Tools Understand the Language of the Electric Power Industry,” EPRI Journal, May 6, 2021, https://eprijournal.com/a-dictionary-to-help-ai-tools-understand-the-language-of-the-electric-power-industry/ [7] AI for Good, “AI for Nuclear Energy | AI FOR GOOD WEBINARS,” YouTube, November 24, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56eYRk_-SNU [8] Matt Korda, “Could a Chatbot Teach You How to Build a Dirty Bomb?,” Outrider, January 30, 2023, https://outrider.org/nuclear-weapons/articles/could-chatbot-teach-you-how-build-dirty-bomb [9] Geert De Clercq and Josie Kao, “Top French University Bans Use of ChatGPT to Prevent Plagiarism,” Reuters, January 27, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/technology/top-french-university-bans-use-chatgpt-prevent-plagiarism-2023-01-27/ [10] Yaniv Markovski, “Fine-Tuning a Classifier to Improve Truthfulness,” OpenAI, accessed March 6, 2023, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/5528730-fine-tuning-a-classifier-to-improve-truthfulness [11] “How Should AI Systems Behave, and Who Should Decide?” OpenAI, February 16, 2023, https://openai.com/blog/how-should-ai-systems-behave [12] Artem Vlasov and Matteo Barbarino, “Seven Ways AI Will Change Nuclear Science and Technology,” IAEA, accessed September 22, 2022, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/seven-ways-ai-will-change-nuclear-science-and-technology This year marks three decades of collaboration spearheaded by the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program with foreign partners to address the proliferation of chemical the Defense Threat Reduction Agency examined significant contributions from the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program’s five core program areas among them the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) The goal of the program is to enable partner countries to prevent and prepare for disease outbreaks that threaten people or animals as early as possible while they may be addressed at a local level to prevent further spread The program aims to counter biological threats in a partner country before the threat can reach the homeland or impact U.S The program also prevents proliferation by cooperating with partner countries to eliminate their biological weapons The first request for biological weapons assistance came from the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program’s original partner country the Soviet Union signed and ratified the Biological Weapons and Toxins Convention in 1972 the Soviet Union continued offensive BW development in secret The clandestine biological weapons stockpiles and state-sponsored programs presented a major proliferation threat once the Soviet Union collapsed The Biological Threat Reduction Program spent its first ten years focused solely on partnerships to address these and other proliferation threats in Former Soviet Union (FSU) partner countries the Biological Threat Reduction Program demilitarized an anthrax production facility and prepared it for ultimate demolition the program enhanced laboratory security to the Vector institute the BTRP eliminated more than 12 tons of weaponized anthrax that was abandoned on site the program remediated a bioweapons production facility and established the Richard G most technologically capable diagnostic and research facilities in the FSU The FSU’s initial biological weapons elimination work was completed relatively quickly The Biological Threat Reduction Program simultaneously focused on completing elimination efforts while also helping partner countries stand up comprehensive systems to detect and deter a broad range of threats the program’s efforts expanded to new regions and cooperation with partners shifted to help detect dangerous outbreaks and improve laboratory safety and security In 2008 Congress granted the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program the authority to work beyond the Former Soviet Union territories BTRP has conducted further missions in Africa The program developed risk assessors and trainers from human and animal health sectors and military health members across Morocco The Biological Threat Reduction Program coordinated with Australian partners to convene regional discussions of international donors operating in the health security and diagnostic space in collaboration with Republic of Korea Combined Forces Command conducted the Adaptive Shield 2019 exercise to assess the ability of military and civilian health communities to jointly respond to a dangerous pathogen outbreak BTRP activities in Cambodia represented the only military–to-military engagements taking place between U.S Department of Defense and the Cambodian military And at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand scientists used BTRP-provided diagnostic equipment and training to determine the first COVID-19 case outside of China resulting in early detection and reporting that the disease was spreading outside of China Thailand’s detection and identification of the novel coronavirus represents a major success for BTRP’s threat reduction efforts in Thailand and further reinforces Thailand’s position as a regional leader The Biological Threat Reduction Program stays at the forefront of advanced and emerging standards and technology to understand the current threat landscape and plays a critical role in enhancing partner nation capabilities to detect Source: Adapted from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency This week’s topics include a consensus on the Pandemic Treaty legislation to increase stockpile readiness for anthrax bioterrorism Get the latest news on pathogens and preparedness News on pathogens and preparedness for public health emergencies Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Russia's defense ministry has said its troops have destroyed Ukrainian weapons supplied by the U.S Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov claimed the successful strikes during an update to reporters on Saturday two American M777 howitzers were destroyed in the area of ​​Stepnogorsk In May, the U.S. gave 90 of the field artillery pieces, which are used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, to Ukraine. The M777 uses NATO-standard 155-millimeter shells which is an improvement over Ukraine's 122 and 152-millimeter artillery pieces They generally fire precision-guided Excalibur rounds that use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to hit targets and Ukraine has hailed them for their precision and power Konashenkov also said on Saturday that Russian troops had destroyed Ukraine's Soviet-era multiple launch rocket systems This followed strikes in the towns of Kodema and Belaya Gora in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian defense ministry for comment Russia has made a number of unverified claims about destroying Ukrainian weapons. Last week, Russia said it had destroyed four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS said that all of the systems it had supplied Kyiv remained intact Both Russia and Ukraine's claims about the opposing side's losses have been met with some skepticism. Independent Russian outlet Agentstvo reported last month that the number of weapons and military vehicles Moscow claimed to have destroyed in Ukraine exceeded what Kyiv had in its arsenal Ukraine has previously dismissed Russian reports of successfully targeting HIMARS Meanwhile, the weapons systems are proving to be a game changer for Kyiv's forces. They were used to destroy ammunition depots in the southern Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka and the vital Antonivka Road Bridge in the Kherson region where Ukrainian troops are mounting a counter-offensive HIMARS can shoot targets up to 50 miles away allowing Ukrainian forces to shoot from a long distance and move away before there is any counterattack. A Pentagon official said on Friday that they have stopped Russia from gaining air superiority in the war has supplied 12 of the systems and pledged an additional four Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said his country would need at least 100 of the systems to reverse Russian gains in the Donbas region Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all 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 A gentle breeze blew through the town of Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinburg) The inhabitants of the town suspected nothing A nearby bioweapons plant called Compound 19 had accidentally released anthrax and it resulted in the largest known outbreak of inhalation anthrax in humans The anthrax was released after a maintenance worker at Compound 19 removed an air filter from a vent in the anthrax production facility so nothing prevented the release of anthrax when production resumed the next morning at least 66 people and many more animals died Had the wind been blowing in the opposite direction the death toll would have been in the thousands Soviet officials tried to blame the deaths on tainted black market meat though many around the world questioned that explanation the Soviets moved their bioweapons production facility to Stepnogorsk in Kazakhstan they began producing the Alibekov strain of anthrax which was three times more lethal than the strain released from Compound 19 The facts about this event remained murky until after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 scientists confirmed that the anthrax release came from Compound 19 other reports and defectors revealed that the USSR had been secretly developing bioweapons on a large scale despite having signed the 1972 Biological Warfare Convention One notable source was the former deputy director of the Soviet biological warfare operation Kanatjan Alibekov (now known as Ken Alibek) Though it is believed that these bioweapons programs have ended Anthrax makes an excellent weapon because it forms spores that are nearly impossible to destroy and the bacteria spread rapidly while producing toxins Inhalation anthrax is the deadliest form of the disease about 90 percent of infected people die and with treatment it was important to identify the Soviet anthrax strain and determine if it was resistant to antibiotics capable of evading the immune system or making the anthrax vaccine ineffective scientists got the anthrax DNA from preserved samples of the victims’ tissues Scientists compared the DNA sequence to the vaccine strain and found no evidence that the Soviets had altered it This similarity suggests that Soviets avoided certain lab processes that would make the anthrax less deadly Considering what we know now about the Soviet weapons program it is likely that they created even more dangerous strains of genetically engineered anthrax later The Soviets also weaponized several other bacteria including the plague bacterium What happened to the massive stockpiles of these deadly microbes remains uncertain keeping many world leaders up at night while the anthrax lies dormant Medical Discovery News is hosted by professors Norbert Herzog at Quinnipiac University and David Niesel of the University of Texas Medical Branch Learn more at www.medicaldiscoverynews.com MEDICAL DISCOVERY NEWS: Smoking mutates you MEDICAL DISCOVERY NEWS: Beating the ivy MEDICAL DISCOVERY NEWS: Reconnecting the brain and legs Environmentalists are often at higher risk around the world and in Kazakhstan eco-activists are often taken as oppositionists and brought to justice A list of environmental issues in the regions of Kazakhstan is rather long – it contains both air and surface waters pollution and the imperfect system of waste treatment Eco-activists in the country not only bring outstanding issues to public discussion They not only actively struggle for the unique flora and fauna species but also stand against the construction of hazardous plants and factories in the republic the consequences of the devastating attitude of humans towards the environment is the issue to be solved by all society members “The number of eco-activists is increasing every day in Kazakhstan today we do not have a proper culture of environmentalism and very often environmental activists are merely taken as oppositionists which gives them a hard time,” Zhumagali said Kazakhstan had real cases of pressure imposed on environmentalists The specific feature of such cases in Kazakhstan is that law-enforcement bodies often support businesses And some media outlets and organisations use such cases to discredit eco-activists by blaming them for implementing someone’s political will Attempts of residents of the village of Bestobe (Akmola region) to resist the launch of Kazakhaltyn Technology enriching factory the affiliated company of Kazakhaltyn Concern would aggravate poor environmental condition have brought some of the most active residents to justice The case was opened on a charge of “dissemination of misleading information” and some police questions about “involvement” in DVK (an extremist party banned in Kazakhstan) learned about two criminal cases opened against him police officers broke into his house by shattering the window and scaring his 13-year-old son Katchiyev said that his active social work was the reason for the prosecution He and other activists were reported to the police for disseminating misleading information about Kazakhaltyn Technology After the house-check Nikolai Katchiyev said that investigators tried to link him with the activities of Mukhtar Ablyazov the leader of the DVK movement banned by court The houses of Nikolai’s father and his younger brother were also checked Katchiyev recognised it as crackdown on his family and on village residents “They do it to cast aspersions on the working group They want to open the plant impudently and do not want to hold hearings so that we don’t fight for our village,” Katchiyev said (as cited from Vlast.kz) the dust coming from the plant of Kazakhaltyn Technology is dispersed in the village It is almost impossible to ventilate houses And peculiar odour comes from the tailings storage facility of the plant which leaves a specific taste in the mouth Katchiyev wrote a message to president Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev and to the General Prosecutor’s Office asking them to pay attention to environmental issues in Bestobe Saving a unique oasis in the concrete jungle Disputes around Lake Small Taldykol in the city of Nur-Sultan are still on the rise – eco-activists want to save it from filling and another metropolitan development actors and activists hold protests on its shore Artist Askhat Akhmedyarov has held repeated campaigns and performances in support of Small Taldykol in the capital. However, he was brought to Yesil district police precinct for another performance in support of Small Taldykol. “Mr. Akhmedyarov, being at the construction site near Shygys residential estate, was using obscene language against Mr. L. and thus committed an unlawful act displaying apparent disrespect for the society, in other words, disorderly conduct,” the court said. Also, the court said that Akhmedyarov resisted to the legitimate request of law-enforcement officers. The court found the artist guilty on both charges. Earlier, Askhat Akhmedyarov had repeatedly held public and political campaigns and performances. In July, the artist together with colleagues protested against construction in Bozzhyra Gorge in Mangistau region. Back then, participants of the campaign in Nur-Sultan were detained by the police and fined.  A story of PCB waste and construction of a waste recycling plant One year ago, wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB, strong pollutants of the environment used in electrotechnical industry) were delivered to Stepnogorsk (Akmola region) for storage from Balkhash, namely Daryal-U radiolocation. A few years ago, some portion of the waste was transported to Germany for recycling, and the remaining portion posed a risk for Lake Balkhash because toxic agents could penetrate into the lake. Therefore, they were packaged and delivered to Stepnogorsk. At the same time, Ecolux-AS LLP, which delivered the wastes to the city, won the grant for installation of disposal equipment. The grant for the supply of equipment was organised by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and the ministry of ecology of Kazakhstan. On June 12 this year, over a hundred of Stepnogorsk residents walked into the square in front of Gornyak community centre to protest against the construction of a waste recycling facility in the city. Afterwards, eco-activist and blogger Artyom Sochnev was fined. He was accused of organising the meeting of residents and violating sanitary laws during the pandemic. In particular, a case on administrative offence was filed against him. He was charged with violation of the “Order of the chief state sanitary officer of the Republic of Kazakhstan on December 25, 2020 No. 68 art. 2 sub-paragraph 1”, which provides for banning of public events. Sochnev paid a fine in the amount of 43,755 tenge (103 dollars). “There is a law. It’s a different matter whether the law-enforcement practice in Kazakhstan is used properly and for the right purposes,” said independent legal expert Aidos Ualiyev. According to him, despite the provisions of international law and convention designed to protect, environmental supporters are often at higher risk around the world. “Unfortunately, Kazakhstan is not an exception. Generally speaking, unfounded detentions of either environmental activists, or activists in general are the evidence of intimidation of people for their peaceful opinions,” he said. notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter Prospects for the development of single-industry towns in Kazakhstan considered at a Government session chaired by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov The main specialisation of 20 single-industry towns where more than 1.3 million residents live is the extraction of minerals and their primary processing Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baibazarov in his report reported that today 23 town-forming enterprises of oil and gas the volume of industrial production totalled 18.5 trillion tenge The number of operating SMEs in single-industry towns increased from 92.3 thousand to 100.2 thousand over the year.  In order to systematically address infrastructure issues and develop the real sector of the economy comprehensive development plans for the cities of Altai Ridder and Stepnogorsk for 2023-2027 have been approved A total of 326 measures worth 456.6 billion tenge are envisaged 62.8 billion tenge is planned for the development of infrastructure in single-industry towns As part of economic diversification and creation of alternative industries in non-resource sectors of the economy akimats will implement 41 "anchor" projects worth 1.4 trillion tenge with the creation of more than 10 thousand jobs Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapaev said that special attention is paid to attracting investment in the economy of single-industry towns this year four investment projects worth over 100 billion tenge with the creation of about 1 thousand permanent jobs are being implemented.  Geological exploration works are carried out to attract additional investments resources with an estimated value of 1.1 trillion tenge were discovered in the vicinity of single-industry towns Investments worth 28.7 billion tenge have been attracted for exploration of the areas This year it is planned to complete prospecting works on 5 promising areas near the monotowns of Abay High dependence of social well-being of single-industry towns on the activities of town-forming enterprises was also noted at the Government session Reduced production can become a potential source of social and demographic problems Over 20 years the population of single-industry towns has already decreased by more than two times The main reasons have also been named - problems with jobs "We want to develop single-industry towns so it is necessary to take measures to increase incomes and employment This should be done through the expansion of production Akimats need to ensure the creation of attractive conditions and social packages for young professionals Companies whose production facilities are located in single-industry towns should also bear corporate social responsibility it is the protection of workers' rights participation in social initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life of the population," Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov said Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev reported on the progress of modernisation of engineering infrastructure of single-industry towns at the Government session At the stage of implementation are repair and restoration work at Stepnogorsk CHP and modernisation of Balkhash heat and power plant Repair and reconstruction of 28 boilers and 11 turbines in Stepnogorsk The work on gasification of 11 single-industry towns continues which in the future will provide about 600 thousand people with gas.  Olzhas Bektenov noted that in matters of ensuring a comfortable life in single-industry towns akimats should pay special attention to the uninterrupted operation of infrastructure facilities it is necessary to focus on the construction and repair of infrastructure availability of educational and medical services.  Akim of Karaganda region Ermaganbet Bulekpaev reported on the results of creation of an industrial zone in Saran city which allowed to give a new impetus to the development of the settlement it is instructed to create similar industrial zones in the cities of Khromtau this experience should be extended to other single-industry towns To ensure a differentiated approach to the development of single-industry towns The construction of a new waste dump of Kazphosphate LLP and the enrichment plant of Kazakhmys LLP has been suspended in court among the major enterprises also Ferum Fluor LLP This was announced at the Government session by Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev.  According to the results of 2023 in Kazakhstan managed to achieve a reduction in standards for emissions by 3.3% and discharges by 8% The largest reduction in emission limits is noted for such enterprises as: "Inspection services in 2023 conducted 652 inspections of compliance with environmental legislation for which they issued 628 prescriptions for their elimination 2138 administrative fines totaling 322.9 billion tenge were imposed 1,834 fines totaling 11.3 billion tenge were collected Fines amounting to 311.6 billion tenge are in the process of execution," Nysanbayev said.  The largest fines for discharging pollutants without an environmental permit were collected from Karabatan Utility Solutions LLP - 7.2 billion tenge and TengizChevroil - 2.8 billion tenge The largest fines among the regions are as follows: many fines are imposed for excessive and unauthorized emissions," the Minister emphasized.  large enterprises annually develop plans for environmental protection measures under which a number of measures are envisaged This is the reconstruction of all four sulfuric acid shops of Kazzinc LLP until 2025 which will reduce the volume of sulfur dioxide emissions by 20% Kazakhmys Smelting LLP's metallurgical plants are expected to reduce emissions by 50% by the end of 2025 This will happen due to the launch of a sulphuric acid shop ERG group of companies plans to invest 228 billion tenge in the next 10 years aimed at reducing particulate emissions by 56% processing and sale of secondary materials up to 2 million tons.  local executive bodies and nature users considered environmental problems of the regions under which 336 measures were envisaged for 2020-2023 As part of the implementation of roadmaps for 2023 among the lagging regions are Mangystau region where the percentage of implementation of measures is below 50% Among the most important but unimplemented activities in Akmola region are the reclamation of tailings dam maps of Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Combine LLP and modernization of sewage treatment facilities in Kokshetau and Stepnogorsk EuroAsian Energy Corporation JSC did not carry out repair works of dust and gas treatment plants In Mangistau region - the elimination of radioactive foci on the territory of chemical-hydrometallurgical plant has not been performed Also among the unfulfilled tasks - the beginning of the second phase of reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities No 2 with biological treatment of wastewater in the city of Aktau construction and installation of a boiler unit of KazakhmysEnergy LLP in the region of Ulytau.  "In order to control industrial emissions of the largest enterprises of 1 category work is being done to install an automated monitoring system The introduction of the ACM system will allow online monitoring of the impact of natural resource users on the environment promptly respond and take measures of state control All received data will be accumulated in the information system "National Data Bank on the state of the environment and natural resources," the head of the agency said 91 enterprises will install this system by the end of 2024 of which the systems are already transmitting data at 9 production facilities the Ministry in carrying out state environmental control emphasized the installation and data transfer of automated monitoring systems In case of non-compliance with the requirements of the legislation will be applied measures of administrative nature," the Minister warned Kazakhstani enterprises will start to switch to comprehensive environmental permits in 2025 they are issued not only to determine emission standards but also to introduce the best available technologies a comprehensive technological audit has been completed at 96 enterprises in key industries and 16 BAT guides have been approved It is expected that the transition of 50 large enterprises to comprehensive environmental permits will reduce annual emissions by more than 900,000 tons per year Companies that have implemented BAT will be exempted from emissions fees for 10 years the rates for harmful emissions will be gradually increased every three years this measure will become one of the incentive mechanisms for the transition to integrated environmental permitting and implementation of BAT "Spending money on modernization and introduction of BAT will contribute to the improvement of the environment and public health The analysis shows the presence of violations of environmental legislation on the part of enterprises as well as weak rates of fulfillment of their commitments to improve the environmental component at production facilities State control over compliance with environmental requirements is one of the key issues today," Nysanbayev summarized Performing the task of informing the population of the de-occupied areas the fighters of the 9th Operational Response Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine named after the Hero of Ukraine Bohdan Zavada distribute the information bulletin of the Ministry of Internal Affairs among the inhabitants of the settlements Most of the population left the frontline towns are not able to get information through the Internet the printed word is almost the only way to convey vital information to people The information bulletin of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is just the source of such information — where to go if a person has become a witness or victim of a war crime; — how not to become a victim of telephone fraudsters; — how to get psychological help in conditions of martial law; — where to call to find the missing or dead and many other useful data Residents of the frontline settlements of Zaporizhzhya region actively analyzed the publication and immediately began to read it The progress of the audit of the Republic's energy facilities and heating networks was considered at the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov Reports on this topic were made by the Ministers of Energy Bolat Akchulakov Industry and Infrastructural Development Kairbek Uskenbayev reported on the uninterrupted operation of the Heat Power Station-1 in Semey; Nurlan Nogayev on the restoration of hot water supply in Aktau; Ermaganbet Bulekpaev on heat supply to residents of Karaganda and operation of the Heat Power Station-2 in Temirtau; Asain Baikhanov on the situation in Ekibastuz and measures being undertaken According to Minister of Energy Akchulakov the Agency conducted an analysis of the technical condition of 37 thermal power plants 19 cogeneration plants were included in the red zone and 7 cogeneration plants in the green zone When determining CHPPs by risk zones four criteria were taken into account: with CHP plants in Uralsk and Stepnogorsk being the most worn out the analysis of which shows that by the end of 2021 there is a 5% increase in emergency shutdowns in power plants compared to 2020 The average lifetime of CHPP plants is 61 years About 76% of CHPP plants have been in operation for more than 50 years "The average salary of the production personnel at CHPPs in Kazakhstan in 2021 is 224,100 tenge costs are shared between heat and electricity The heat tariffs for CHPPs provide for an annual 5% increase in the payroll when considering the ceiling tariffs for electricity has provided for a 15% increase in wages for the personnel involved in electricity generation," Akchulakov said.   In order to minimize risks during the next autumn-winter period for cogeneration plants located in the red zone the government determined the volume of capital repairs of key equipment funding in the amount of 182 billion tg is required This calculation was made as part of benchmarking monetary funds envisaged for repair of power generating organizations taking into account the approved tariffs for electric and heat energy amount 93 billion tenge.  revenues of power plants from sales of electricity and heat within the approved tariffs do not cover the costs for full-fledged repairs The amount of underfunding is 88 billion tg.  In order to implement the above-mentioned works on 12 cogeneration plants which are in municipal and quasi-public ownership it is proposed to finance from the state budget and on 22 private cogeneration plants at the expense of the owner.  In implementation of the Presidential Address of September 1 the issue of adopting a new programme "Tariff for Investment" in 2023 is being considered Securing investment in power plants will enable existing reserves to be tapped in the quickest and most efficient way possible modernise and expand the existing assets of power generating organisations thereby improving the reliability of the power system and ensuring a 15% reduction in depreciation of generating capacity by 2035 "Priority projects requiring investments will be identified on the basis of technical audits of plants that supply heat and have a critical level of wear and tear," Akchulakov stressed.   currently the average wear and tear of power grids in the Republic of Kazakhstan is about 66% Because of this in 2022 compared to 2021 increase in the number of technological violations amounted to 183 cases and 7 cases of occupational injuries I consider it necessary to take the following urgent system measures to be solved at the level of local executive bodies: to provide engineering infrastructure for previously allocated land plots and to intensify work to identify ownerless electricity networks and their assumption into municipal ownership with the execution of documents of title and the subsequent transfer of these facilities on the balance of power transmission companies," Akchulakov said.   the Ministry of Energy started work on an independent technical audit of power stations in the country The technical audit is carried out with the technical assistance of the World Bank Within the open tender for the first stage of the Technical Audit the World Bank selected a consortium of companies the local coordinator of the project is JSC Kazakhstan Electricity and Capacity Market Operator The deadline for completion of the Technical Audit is scheduled for the end of the first quarter of 2023.     Agreements have also been reached with the World Bank to carry out the second stage of the technical audit of the state of the electricity networks; the terms of reference are currently being agreed upon The outcome of this work is planned to be a Technical Audit of the country's power utilities using the world's best technical audit practices and issuing relevant recommendations to reduce physical deterioration improve reliability and safe operation of power equipment inspections of entities are carried out on the basis of checklists reflecting the requirements of regulations the checklists do not include requirements for the operation of energy equipment set out in local operating instructions and manufacturer's instructions These requirements are mandatory for maintaining the proper technical condition of energy equipment of energy enterprises and consumers the Ministry has prepared amendments to strengthen the function of the state energy oversight body and was introduced into the draft Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Heat and Power Engineering" A regulatory impact analysis has also been carried out with regard to the strengthening of state energy control Approaches of the Ministry of Energy to strengthen energy control in part: It should also be noted that strengthening state energy control will not have the desired effect without increasing the number of staff of the state energy control body "The 20 territorial departments of the Committee for Atomic and Energy Supervision and Control each have three state technical inspectors The existing staff of state inspectors is insufficient for full and quality control over the operation and safety of electrical installations of facilities in the Republic of Kazakhstan given the considerable amount of work in order to prevent the loss of state control in the field of nuclear energy and electricity proposed to increase the number of staff of territorial departments of the Committee," Akchulakov summarized Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Uskenbayev said that at present the length of the heating network in the cities is 12.1 thousand km The required investment volume is about 2.2 trillion tg 83 subjects of natural monopolies provide heat supply services in 74 cities of which 61 utility companies have 10.2 thousand km on their balance sheets 22 private entities have 1.9 thousand km of heating networks on their balance sheets "Wear of the networks is less than 50% in 45 cities 52 entities of natural monopolies provide services Wear of the networks from 50% to 70% in 19 cities Wear of the networks exceeds 70% in 7 cities the network length of 52 km exceeds the standard service life," Uskenbayev informed.   about 295 billion tg was allocated under the state programme "Nurly Zhol" and "Nurly Zhol" under the mechanisms of budget credit and subsidies since 2020 there has been low interest of local executive bodies in budgetary lending due to limited tariffs and unprofitable natural monopolies to ensure repayment the agency proposes a phased approach for the modernisation of heating networks it is proposed to replace heat networks with more than 70% deterioration replacement of heat networks with 50 to 70% wear "Heat networks with less than 50% wear and tear are proposed to be replaced under the CEM investment programmes," the Minister for Industry and Infrastructure Development clarified.   with the network length of 1.9 thousand km of which 1.6 thousand km requires replacement For 7 years it is proposed to replace 225 km annually amounting to 75 billion tg through budget crediting with the establishment of an appropriate level of tariff of which 3.7 thousand km require replacement The costs will be about 1.2 trillion Tenge it is proposed to replace 370 km annually to the amount of 122 billion tenge through budget crediting with the establishment of an appropriate level of tariff," Uskenbayev said.   Today there are three mechanisms for financing the reconstruction and construction of heating networks: and the grace period for repayment of the principal is 6 years; Second is a subsidy through co-financing with international financial institutions Third is the allocation of targeted transfers within the budget programme "Development of Mono and Small Towns" where the Ministry of National Economy is the administrator For state-owned entities with insufficient financial sustainability financing through targeted transfers is proposed In order to improve the condition of heating networks in order to ensure availability of information and operational planning of development of CEM networks it is necessary to enter data of engineering infrastructure and their technical condition into the system of urban inventory Akim of Abay region Nurlan Urankhayev reported that centralized heat supply of Abay region is provided by 44 heat sources of which: 4 with a capacity of more than 100 Gcal/hour and 40 with a capacity of less than 100 Gcal/hour.  "Most of the district heating sources have been operating for more than 35 years the average depreciation of these 44 sources is 46.17% The average depreciation of 455.2 km of heat networks in the region is 63.8% Including deterioration of 315 km of Semey city networks is 68% Most of Semey city networks operated for more than 40 years and on the right bank of Semey city networks were built in 1963-1965," the akim of the region informed.   repair works with reconstruction of 3.2 km networks in amount of 585.6 mln tg and heat sources in the amount of 1034.08 mln The planned activities have been implemented in full the situation on heat supply in Semey city remains critical If in the heating season 2021-2022 there were 310 technological violations then in only 2.5 months of the heating season 2022-2023 there were 168 technological violations 143 technological failures at heat distribution networks which means that the number of technological failures will be higher than in the previous heating season In connection with criticality of high wear and tear of heat sources and networks and existing deficit of heat energy taking into account the growth prospects of Semey city we have prepared a complex action plan for reconstruction of networks and boiler houses and for implementation of which we request to support funding from the Republican budget in 2023 in the amount of 12.5 billion tenge informed that MAEK LLP is the main life-supporting enterprise of the region The single energy complex produces electricity and heat MAEK includes two combined heat and power plants (TETs-1 and TETs-2) a distillate preparation plant and an industrial heat and water supply plant "The main equipment of the enterprise was commissioned in 1962-1990 and the level of depreciation is 81% From 2023 the enterprise will become the regional communal property after which the technical audit of energy equipment will be carried out," Nogayev said.   Within the framework of modernization of the enterprise it is planned to implement 6 projects with the approximate cost of 127.7bn tg the issues of reconstruction of Aktau heating networks are very urgent in the region Wear of heating networks is 88% (total length is 438 km To solve these problems by 2026 it is planned to carry out works on reconstruction of thermal networks in 25 micro-districts of Aktau in stages (5 zones) for a total amount of 79 billion tg "As of today on the 1st stage technical research of a condition of heating networks of 9 micro-districts is conducted the design and estimate documentation on reconstruction of heating networks of 3 micro-districts with extent of 10.2 km is developed the budgetary application on financing in the amount of 11.5 billion tenge is submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the RK Design and estimate documentation is being developed for 6 micro-districts the deadline for completion is Q1 2023," the Mangystau region Akim said.   work on the technical survey and development of design and estimated documentation for the reconstruction of heating networks of the remaining 16 districts will be carried out step by step the Akim of Pavlodar region Asain Bayhanov informed that today Ekibastuz CHPP is working in the normal mode Works on restoration of heat supply have been completed including residential houses of the private sector "There are complaints of "underheating" due to an unbalanced heating system Work on balancing and adjustment of temperature parameters is being carried out on them A unified contact centre 109 is in operation 24 hours a day where all appeals of residents on "underheating" in residential houses are immediately transferred to a special group for inspection and taking necessary measures," Baihanov said.   schools and kindergartens have resumed normal operation "To ensure the stable passage of the heating period in the region an operational plan has been developed with the identification of the most vulnerable objects All of them are taken under special control," the akim of the region noted.   Concerning prevention of repetition of happened work is conducted on several directions: the repair works are conducted on 3 boilers of heat supply station for provision of reserve capacities till the end of heating period is that a terms of reference has already been developed for a comprehensive heat and power audit of the entire heat supply system of the city of Ekibastuz the Akimat together with the shareholders of Ekibastuz TPP are preparing for the upcoming spring and autumn hydraulic tests with the replacement of faulty shut-off valves,  is the development of design and estimate documentation for construction of new and reconstruction of old heat supply networks has started the documentation is planned to be prepared by the middle of March of the next year Kristina Luzina joined the Norwegian National Ballet in 2018 after having danced at the Yakobson Ballet Theatre i St Petersburg and Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre.Her repertoire includes Spuck’s Anna Karenina Naharin’s Minus 16 and a variety of classical ballets She has danced the role of four big swans and Waltz in Swan Lake the Fairy of Tenderness and Waltz in Sleeping Beauty snowflake and Arabian dance in The Nutcracker Pas d'action and "Kingdom of Shades" in La Bayadère in addition to a role in Paquita and Jacobsen’s Les Sylphides Kristina Luzina is originally from Kazakhstan began dancing in Stepnogorsk and trained at the Perm State Ballet School By Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan Daniyar Kadirov was appointed to the position of Vice Minister of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan This was reported by the press service of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Daniyar Kadirov was born in 1975 in Almaty He graduated from the al-Farabi Kazakh State National University He began his career in 1999 as a leading specialist of the Mass Media Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan he held various positions in the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan he was Deputy Director of the Department of Youth Policy; Head of the Department of Youth and Social Programs of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan he was Deputy Akim of the city of Stepnogorsk he was the head of the sector of the Department of State Control and Organizational Work of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan he was Counsellor-Envoy of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Mongolia he was Counsellor-Envoy of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Turkmenistan he was Executive Director in the ALE Association of Broadcasting Operators of the Republic of Kazakhstan he has been the Deputy Head of the Department for Control over the Consideration of Appeals of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Russian terrorists launched strikes with S-300 aircraft Under enemy fire were the settlements of Zaporizhzhya six wounded civilians were taken to hospital the police recorded 51 reports of destruction of infrastructure facilities The hits of Russian missiles and shells were recorded in Komyshuvasi A 51-year-old resident of Malaya Tokmachka died as a result of the explosion a 27-year-old steppnohirt and a 43-year-old resident of Tavriysk were taken to medical institutions with injuries of varying severity The latter was discharged home after medical care The consequences of the attacks were documented by police officers and the SBU 438 (Violation of the laws and customs of war) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine A confectionery factory in Sumy was hit by Russian drones: the enemy damaged the production of Easter cakes The attack killed an entrepreneur who had come to pick up holiday products According to the head of the Sumy District State Administration the Russians launched a strike with a "Shahed" UAV on a confectionery shop in the city of Sumy "The production of pasak bread was damaged An entrepreneur who came to pick up the products died," he said it is indicated that a confectionery employee sought medical attention Photo: facebook.com/mykhailo.melnyk The State Emergency Service officially confirmed that the deceased businessman was pulled from the rubble The building of the civil infrastructure facility is partially destroyed damaged a high-voltage line and left the community without electricity cars were burning after being hit by a drone The Stepnogorsk community is without electricity in Primorske there are hits on private cars: the enemy continues to terrorize the frontline territories The most important from online.ua in your mail By staying online, you consent to the use of cookies files which help us make your stay here even better  Based on your browser and language settings you might prefer the English version of our website