Since February, fragments of at least four alleged -free air vehicles (UAV), also called drones, have been found in the Western Kazakhstan region. The fragments of alleged drones have all fallen into certain parts of Kazakhstan closest to the current war in Ukraine, illustrating the dangers posed to the neighbors of the conflict.
In two of the four incidents, photos circulated in the media, which made it possible to identify the fragments of drones as of probable Russian origin. The authorities have officially identified any of the fragments or explained how they found themselves in Kazakhstan territory.
On March 26RFE / RL Kazakh service, Azattyk, reported that parts of an alleged drone had been found in the Zhanibek district, which borders Russia. Local authorities reported in a press release that they carried out “verification activities concerning the discovery of objects similar to the fragments of an unmanned air vehicle in the Zhanibek district”. The press release, according to reports from Azattyk, said that the fragments were found in a distant and not populated area. The report did not include a specific location or size of the debris.
Two days earlierAlso in the Zhanibek district, pieces of what would be a UAV was found in the rural district of Uzynkol. The regional police press service said it was 480 kilometers from Oral (UALSK), the capital of the West Kazakhstan region, in a distant region. The report did not specify the size of the debris.
Before that, on March 18, an important piece of an alleged drone landed near the village of Atameken, in the district of Taskala western Kazakhstan. Regional media shared a photo of the debris, an object of three meters (9 feet) which looks like the version built by Russia Iran Shahed-136 One -way attack drone.
On February 18, a section of 1.2 meters (almost 4 feet) of an alleged drone was found in the village of Uyaly in the Bokey Orda (Bokeyordsky) district of Kazakhstan west. Local media shared an image of the object, and Some have suggested that he looks like Sagem “Crecerelle”, A recognition drone developed by the French in the 1990s. Ukrainian defense blogs argued that the argument of “resemblance” is a bit of Russian disinformation designed to blame Ukraine, and that the drone is actually a Russian Orlan-10. Other Kazakh media have reported that the drop-down drone seems to be an Orlan-10.
February fragments were found One day after a drone strike On the Caspian Consortium Pipeline (CPC) Kropotkinskaya Pumping Station. Kropotkinskaya station, located in the Russian Krasnodar region, is the largest in the CPC system and is A critical knot for Kazakhstan oil exports to the west At the Port of the Black Sea of Novorossiysk. Another Station in the system, Kavkazskaya station was struck on March 19. According to the Astana TimesQuoting CPC “… After the closure of the Kropotkinskaya station, the expected volume of transport for the year has been reduced.
The Western Kazakhstan region borders the Russian regions of Orenburg to the northeast, Samara to the north, Saratov in the northwest, Volgograd to the west and Astrakhan in the southwest. The northern part of Astrakhan is home to the Kapustin Yar military training area, where Russia Performs missile tests. In 2018Part of a missile undergoing tests at Kapustin Yar fell into west of Kazakhstan.