Aslan Tuleganov, also known as Nord Kazakh or Northern Kazakh, has been arrested for 10 days and potentially more in connection with his pro-Russian online material.

A Kazakh on a mission

Mr. Tuleganov has become quite famous on the Russian speaking internet for his personal battle against Russophobic positions. He attacks vile talking points that he sees appearing in Kazakh and Central Asian media. Sadly, the same type of anti-Russian rhetoric that has doomed Ukraine and is the status quo in the Baltic states is a universal phenomenon across the entire post-Soviet space and even in Russia proper.

The typical propaganda logic that he fights against is that somehow the Russian language is harmful and needs to be banned yet all children need to learn English in schools as it is the international language. The Russians are to blame for country X being poor and the only solution to gaining wealth is by joining up with the West. All historical figures who resisted Russia are good, all those who worked with it are bad, and so on and so on.

Much of these toxic meme talking points can be linked to the now defunded and hopefully defunct USAID. Mr. Tuleganov with just his telephone camera smashed this backwards reasoning again and again quite effectively. And this has probably angered many pro-Western forces within the elite of Kazakhstan and beyond putting a target on his head.

So what was Nord Kazakh arrested for specifically?

The following is from an artilce by Avia Pro – Media that has been auto-translated.

“In one of his live broadcasts, he got into a verbal altercation with a user who, according to Aslan, used rude and provocative language. The blogger’s response was no less harsh: he couldn’t restrain himself, calling his opponent an “ignoramus” and adding a few strong words. This became the reason for the rapid intervention of law enforcement officers.

According to local media, the Kokshetau police accused Aslan of hooliganism. The trial was swift: on the same day, the blogger was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. Aslan himself said that everything happened at lunch, without much discussion. “An extremism officer was running along the corridor, reporting something. I could hear the recording turning on when I was on the phone,” he shared, adding that the judge had not taken into account either his clean reputation or family circumstances, including caring for an elderly mother.”

A legitimate use of force?

There have always been limits on free speech even in the best of times. Making concrete death threats or yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre have and always been forbidden. But If the Kazakhtani (or any other) authorities are concerned about heated arguments happened during live streams with some unpleasant words, they are going to have to lock up a fourth of the country. Nearly everyone online is guilty of this at some point. Arguing is a part of normal human discourse, like it or not. This arrest seems to have been very selective enforcement of the law against “hooliganism” and could have been a full set up.

We should note that Mr. Tuleganov has never advocated for the assassination\extermination of any individual or group. He has also never called for the overthrow of the Kazakhstani government.

Looking for Ukraine 2.0

As somone who lived in Kazakhstan for a few years I can sadly and personally attest that the exact same type of propaganda that shoved Ukraine onto NATO’s sacrificial altar was and seemingly is still happening there.

Kazakhstan lacks the Neo-Nazi radical background that the West exploited. But, it does have a society very divided between two halves of the country. This is why they built a new capital, Astana, right in the middle, as one of many means of uniting the nation. The thing is, that the north still has many Russians and even more Kazakhs who think like Aslan Tuleganov does. This creates a dangerous divide in society that could lead to another conflict. In 2022 around new years, at the request of the government in Astana the Russians even came in softly to avert such a disaster.

Globalist forces want another Ukraine, be it in Moldova, or Kazakhstan or wherever. We thank Mr. Tuleganov for resisting the forces that want to use his country as a weapon against Russia. No Kazakh should die for powers that cannot even pronounce or spell the name of their country.