DISINFO: The West pushes Kazakhstan to weaponise Soviet repressions to undermine Russia
SUMMARY
In the mid-2000s, Kazakhstan saw a rise in nationalist-populist slogans, which were soon incorporated into a Western-promoted agenda of "decolonisation." This agenda aimed not to "restore historical memory" but more to use the themes of famine and repression to undermine Russian influence in the region. A similar campaign — this time targeting China — was carried out regarding the semi-mythical "Kazakh concentration camps" in Xinjiang (XUAR). As for the events of the 1930s in the Kazakh SSR, the idea was introduced into public discourse that a so-called "genocide" was being carried out against the Kazakhs.
RESPONSE
A mix of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives claiming that the West is waging a hybrid war against Russia in Central Asia. This narrative fits into the broader disinformation theme about the West’s allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda against Russia, and about its alleged plans to destabilise and encircle it. The article promotes a recurring disinformation narrative about alleged promotion of Russophobia in Central Asia.
This claim was made in the context of Kazakhstan’s recent Day of Remembrance. Since 1997, May 31 has been officially designated as the Day of Remembrance for the victims of political repression and famine in Kazakhstan. President Tokayev marked that:
‘During the campaign of forced collectivization, people were deprived of their livestock and property, died en masse from hunger, and many were forced to seek refuge abroad. The Stalinist repressions also affected the national intelligentsia — the most educated and progressive segment of our society. There were 11 camps of the GULAG system located on the territory of Kazakhstan.
Eliminating the 'blank spots' in our history is our sacred duty to past and future generations. The memory of the millions of innocent victims of totalitarianism is sacred. There can be no historical reinterpretations here, and even more so, no justification for the inhumane and fundamentally flawed state policy of that time’.
An independent understanding of one’s own history, and the study of its gaps, facts, and events, is a vital process for every country. Suggesting that foreign NGOs or governments are pressuring Kazakhstan on this issue undermines the country’s sovereign right to reflect on and shape its own national identity.
Over the years, the government of Kazakhstan has supported a variety of projects related to the topic of political repression during the Soviet era and the legacy of this violence. President Tokayev started an initiative to create a new seven-volume academic publication on the history of Kazakhstan. In this work, Kazakhstan's and foreign scholars have revised, supplemented, and reinterpreted certain historical aspects and facts in the country’s history.
Five years ago, the State Commission for the Full Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repressions was established. Over the course of three years, a large group of experts and scholars meticulously studied documents from state and departmental archives. As a result, more than 300,000 individuals who had been persecuted for political reasons were rehabilitated. The secrecy classification was lifted from more than 2.5 million documents. Based on the materials examined by the Commission, a 72-volume collection was published.
A special centre dedicated to the study of materials related to 20th-century political repressions has been established under the Presidential Archive. It has received 700,000 previously classified case files. All this work marks an important step in Kazakhstan's self-reflection.
See similar cases claiming that the West falsifies and attacks Central Asian history, West attempts to manipulate Soviet history in Kazakhstan, that West increases pressure on CIS countries to break old ties, that the West caused the Ukraine coup, Belarus colour revolution and that Ukrainian authorities constantly oppress and infringe Russian-speaking people. See also our article: Five myths that helped Russian colonialism remain hidden in plain sight.