In Madiyev’s account, Kazakhstan’s AI strategy starts with energy and computing infrastructure, then builds upward through chips, cloud services, and large

Drone attacks on three Yandex data centers in Russia disrupted taxi, delivery, and other digital services in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. At the

A German spy scandal involving alleged Azerbaijani links draws attention to espionage cases, secret trials, and diplomatic disputes across Central Asia and the Caucasus.

In Moscow, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Joe Luc Barnes met residents who distrusted their government but believed its assurances that war

Twenty-year-old Ainabek Keldibek went to Russia expecting to work as a security guard. Relatives of other young Kazakh men say they had taken jobs at a

Reports surrounding the death of an employee at an anti-plague research institute in Russia’s Irkutsk region have prompted health authorities across Central

On Thursday, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is due to receive Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rahmon, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Ilham

For decades, some of Soviet Central Asia’s most inventive recordings survived in an awkward limbo. The music existed, but often on ageing vinyl, scattered

Turkmenistan marked 35 years of independence on September 27 with a military parade and mass celebrations in Ashgabat. The festivities followed independent

The Ferghana Peace Forum was just held in Tajikistan’s northern city of Guliston.

Stronger cybersecurity and trusted digital infrastructure could encourage greater U.S. investment in Central Asia, Mark Cameron said in Astana on September 29.

Fourteen servicemen in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces were killed during military exercises on the Caspian Sea on September 24, and five Armed Forces officials

Uzbekistan called for a more effective United Nations and sought support for its Security Council candidacy during the General Assembly’s September 23 debate.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation including executives from more than 100 American companies to Uzbekistan in October. The visit will

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are the home of the

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to “annihilate” Iran brought the vulnerability of Central Asia’s southern trade routes into focus as the UN General

Biodiversity investment can help Central Asia protect ecosystems, reduce future economic costs, and build greater resilience to environmental change.

The Islamic Renaissance of Tajikistan (formerly the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan) has elected a new chairman after longtime leader Muhiddin Kabiri

Saida Mirziyoyeva, the head of Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration and daughter of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is expected to deliver the country’s

Almaty City Day filled Panfilov Street with yurts, music, traditional games and an apple fair celebrating the city’s famous Aport.

Escalation in the Middle East has pushed oil back above $100 a barrel. For Kazakhstan, whose budget remains heavily dependent on commodity exports, that

In February, participants from a new school in Nukus joined local foresters on the dried bed of the Aral Sea to plant saxaul. The shrubs can take root in

Mailuu-Suu illustrates why Central Asia’s uranium cleanup has stretched across decades. The waste sits in places where rivers and unstable slopes can carry it

For three days, a city appears on the Barsakelmes salt flat in Karakalpakstan. It has no permanent residents, shops, or spectators. There are tents and yurts,

The C5+Korea Summit put critical minerals and local processing at the center of South Korea’s new regional partnership with Central Asia.

On September 10, the Bishkek City Court upheld convictions against former security chief Kamchybek Tashiyev and seven others, but changed the offense from

Ashgabat postwar architecture is disappearing as Soviet-era buildings are demolished, even as Tashkent and Almaty expand heritage protections.

Those exercises are designed with Afghanistan in mind, a country that the CSTO has been talking about frequently in 2026, and also one where militant groups

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are the home of the

Space Days Kazakhstan showcased new satellite projects as Astana seeks greater control over its space sector while expanding ties with Russia, China, and other partners.

On many levels, the sixth World Nomad Games were a success. Large crowds filled venues in Bishkek and around Issyk-Kul, with organizers saying more than

Central Asian states are stepping up cooperation on shared rivers, but disputes over hydropower, irrigation, costs, and climate pressures remain unresolved.

In a trading hall in Astana, BlackRock was explaining why investors have become more cautious. A few floors away, geologists were pitching 23 mining projects,

BELGRADE – While seeking to join the European Union – a process that has been going on for nearly two decades – Serbia is also moving to build closer

It was the final and most unfamiliar test in the World Nomad Games’ traditional ground archery program: a Korean-style competition at a distance many of the

Of all the sites at the 6th World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, the “Universe of Nomads” ethno-town is arguably the most interesting. Its setting is Kyrchyn

The “Universe of Nomads” ethno-town at the 6th World Nomad Games contains roughly 500 yurts spread across the mountain pasture at Kyrchyn, beneath the

Kyrgyzstan has won the kok-boru title at the 6th World Nomad Games after overwhelming Kazakhstan 12-0 in Sunday’s final at the Kok-Boru Arena in Cholpon-Ata.

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization adopted amendments to the bloc's Charter and approved regulations for two security bodies in Bishkek on

Uzbekistan’s cotton industry was long built on forced labor. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev says past policies made Uzbeks “slaves to cotton.”

Dust rose from the Cholpon Ata hippodrome as the United States flag circled the arena on Wednesday, but the home team quickly took control of the opening kok

For Jonathan Campion, a journalist and contributor to The Times of Central Asia, months of anticipation and two weeks of hurried training ended rather more

At Kyrchyn Gorge on Thursday, a British rider released an arrow at a target from horseback as her steed carried her between the course markers, with the green

A stampede throws up a great wall of dust as a scrum of white, sweating stallions tears past. A roar rises from the stands. With horsemen in hot pursuit, a

Preliminary results have been announced in Kazakhstan’s election to its new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. Notably, they differ little from the first

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened economic consequences for any country that continues to provide support to Iran, promising Tehran “Economic Warfare

Tajikistan has asked Iran to supply 2.55 million metric tons of crude oil and petroleum products as Dushanbe looks for alternatives to increasingly unreliable

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are