Kremlin ally Kazakhstan rejects Russian attempts to evade sanctions

Kazakhstan shares the world’s longest land border with Russia and is considered an ally of Moscow. Both nations are members of political and military alliances.

“Kazakhstan has not imposed sanctions against Russia, and Kazakhstan has not joined the sanctions against Russia," he said.

"However, we do not want our territory to be used to bypass the sanctions,” 

Previously, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin stated that while Astana does not support anti-Russian sanctions, it complies with them “because it is economically beneficial.” He explained that “our economy is small, and naturally, we cannot withstand the pressure of sanctions.”

Later, Zhumangarin also mentioned that Kazakhstan’s authorities will not “blindly follow” sanctions against Russia if they jeopardize the interests of Kazakh companies.

Kazakhstan has become a major hub for importing goods into Russia since Western companies exited the Russian market, and banking sanctions limited Russia’s ability to make payments in major global currencies.

However, in April 2023, Kazakh authorities tightened controls over goods crossing the border, and in October, they banned the export of 106 types of sanctioned products to Russia.

By the spring of this year, Russian businesses began facing difficulties with Kazakh banks, which worsened by the end of the summer.

On Sept. 16, 2024, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev claimed that Russia is “militarily invincible,” warning that further escalation of the war would have “irreparable consequences for all of humanity,” especially for the countries involved in the “Russian-Ukrainian conflict.”