Kazakhstani diplomats decline to comment on incident with drones that went from Kyrgyzstan to Russia

According to The Washington Post, the Kazakhstani Embassy in Washington D.C. declined to comment on the incident related to the illegal supply of drones from Kyrgyzstan to Russia through the territory of Kazakhstan.

What happened? In May 2023, several Kazakhstani media outlets reported that undisclosed individuals tried to illegally smuggle a batch of drones from Kyrgyzstan to Russia through the territory of Kazakhstan. As a result, Kazakhstani border guards seized 14 Chinese drones worth $13,486 each. Later, the Customs Service explained that the drones were seized because a supplier from Kyrgyzstan had no license for the export of such goods.

The reaction of the U.S. This case sparked a heavy interest among American media. According to The Washington Post, U.S. officials were surprised when they learned about the incident, as in the vast majority of cases drones and other sensitive equipment enter Russia easily. The seizure of the drones was hailed as «a rare victory in a whack-a-mole effort to halt the flow of banned hardware and electronics pouring into Russia in support of its war effort in Ukraine.»

The reaction of Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. According to The Washington Post, the Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Washington, responding to a request for comment, said in a statement that the country’s leaders were committed to adhering to international regulations and cracking down on contraband and other illicit trade, while officials at the Kazakhstani Embassy declined to comment on the incident.