Kyrgyzstan-Russia relations

The Russian prime minister recently complained about "unfounded claims and illegal statements by high-level representatives of Kyrgyz government bodies against honest, bona fide Russian companies..."

In the wake of the horrific Crocus City Hall attack, allegedly perpetrated by Tajik nationals, Bishkek has issued a recommendation that its citizens avoid unnecessary travel to Russia.

The latest round of sanctions designations included a Kyrgyzstan-based company and two firms based in Kazakhstan.

In one case, both the U.S. and Russia want a Russian citizen extradited, putting the states of Central Asia once again in the middle of a geopolitical mess.

As consequences loom, Kyrgyz officials have moved quickly to acknowledge, rather than deny, allegations of sanctions evasion and promise action.

How should we interpret the recent cancellations of a number of planned concerts by Russian performers in the region?

Industrialized meat processing is inherently a messy business. In Kyrgyzstan, the politics of regulating the food supply and flows of trade can be just as messy. 

Authorities in the Kyrgyz capital extended a ban on protests that’s been in place most of the year, hoping to head off any trouble when Putin (and Mirziyoyev) come to town.

Days after Kyrgyz President Japarov skipped Russian President Putin's birthday (and an informal CIS summit), Bishkek cancelled planned CSTO exercises at the last minute.

Moscow denies that Central Asians are being conscripted into the Russian military, but the risk is real.

Kyrgyzstani authorities are restricting protests about Russia’s war in Ukraine, but some public servants are speaking out.

Regional media have begun to report on the return of bodies, men born in Central Asia who took Russian citizenship over the years and ultimately died in Ukraine.

As Bishkek tries to maintain a balanced approach to the Ukraine crisis, demonstrations have been banned from key protest hotspots in the capital.

Russia as a first destination for a Kyrgyz president is no surprise; it’s essentially tradition.

Treading carefully, both Moscow and Beijing have engaged the new Japarov government but with a markedly light touch.

In September, Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov again mentioned Russia’s participation in the long-delayed project.

“It is up to Russia," said Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov in reference to suggestions that Moscow open a second base in the country.

President Sooronbai Jeenbekov made a working visit to Moscow less than a week after taking office.

The outcome of this weekend's election usher in an unprecedented transfer of power between elected presidents.

"I must admit, I love Russia very much," the Kyrgyz president said at a state dinner held in his honor in Moscow.

Seasons of migration to the north: stories of Central Asian migrant workers in Russia.

No huge headlines emerged from the trip, which was a walk down familiar paths and repetition of familiar phrases.

A day of mourning in Bishkek sadly won't change working conditions in Moscow.

Despite its problems, Kyrgyzstan may be Central Asia's most stable state. Here's why.