Featured stories about Kyrgyzstan
Stories about Kyrgyzstan
Central Asian people's path to the American dream is full of dangers
Among the dangers of traveling this route are being robbed or taken hostage by cartels in transit countries, being attacked by wild animals, and drowning in the Caribbean Sea.
FC Barcelona opens its first academy in Central Asia and commits to build more
The academy in Jalalabad was FC Barcelona's 29th in the world and first in Central Asia.
Central Asian presidents cannot stop appointing their relatives to high-level posts
The most glaring example of this practice is the current president of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimukhamedov, who succeeded his father Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov in 2022.
Zere's new album is a continuation of her fight against gender inequality in Kyrgyzstan
It continues discussing gender inequality while exploring other social and political problems in Kyrgyzstan against the background of her intimate and personal experiences and stories from childhood.
Russian diplomats react to a new law on language in Kyrgyzstan, bringing back colonial past
The Kyrgyz language is an integral part of national identity. It is vital for the survival of Kyrgyz people as a separate ethnic group and Kyrgyzstan as a nation.
Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan commit to intensifying bilateral cooperation
The outcomes of the past official visits and talks show that the two countries remain friendly toward each other and ready to explore avenues for cooperation.
Kyrgyzstan's highest court sides with a female activist and allows the use of the matronymic
People in Kyrgyzstan can now add an appendage to their first names that derive from their mothers’ names.
Central Asian states lead the way in the repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters’ families from Syria and Iraq
The cases of Central Asian countries can serve as a study model, and have many good practices to share with the international community.
Central Asian leaders sigh with relief as Erdoğan wins presidential elections in Turkey
After a cooling off in the relations in the 1990s and early 2000s, the blossoming of cooperation between Turkey and Central Asia has come under Erdoğan’s rule.
Kyrgyzstan's YouTube sensation, D Billions, kicks off its global concert tour
D Billions, which stands for billion smiles, has already reached its ambitious goals of putting a smile on billion people's faces through their YouTube videos.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Kyrgyzstan
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Kyrgyzstan is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Hungarian beekeepers find a haven for bees in Kyrgyzstan
Describing the Toktogul region, Ferenc Takács from Fulmer says: “This is a heaven for bees because it is a heaven for flowers.”
Importing illiberal practices: The Kyrgyz state’s attack on media, journalists and bloggers
The Kyrgyz government is importing illiberal practices from Russia, and these changes have impacted public lives and affected the activity of media, journalists and bloggers.
The stories of Koreans in Kyrgyzstan who converted to Islam
Their conversion is partly the result of the re-Islamization of Kyrgyzstan, which started in 1991, after Kyrgyzstan gained independence.
Central Asian leaders display loyalty to Kremlin at the military parade in Moscow
Russia’s allies in Central Asia are in a delicate position. They have to maintain neutrality while being pressured by Russia, who is leveraging the region’s political, security, and economic reliance.
Social media censorship and information manipulation after Sadyr Zhaparov's rise in Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz authorities are also using the narrative of “foreign interests” to adopt a law on ‘foreign agents’ largely inspired by the Russian model.
At home, in a presidential palace, and a mosque: Where Central Asian presidents hosted iftar in 2023
Where they are held, who attends them, and what words are spoken at these events can help better understand Central Asia and its people.
Police in Kyrgyzstan pressures exiled anti-war Russians to keep quiet
The war in Ukraine presented Bishkek a challenging task of navigating Russia’s demands for explicit support of its invasion and the risks of falling under Western sanctions.
Central Asians fighting in Ukraine are both defending and attacking it
The authorities in Central Asia have issued stern warnings to their citizens not to fight in Ukraine, threatening lengthy prison sentences for participating in armed conflicts abroad as mercenaries.
Weathering Russian xenophobia in everyday life
In recent months, there has been more talk about "Russophobia" — anti-Russian sentiment. What they face is nothing compared to what national minorities face in Russia.
People fleeing from Russia: ‘We were deprived of “home” too’
Valeria considers her story banal: “I left Russia because I can’t and don’t want to be silent, and I don’t want to go to jail for this either.”