On April 2, for the first time since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, UAVs appeared in the sky of Tatarstan. On this occasion, Deputy of the State Duma, member of the Defense Committee, Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulev expressed a sensational opinion. He said that “there is no confirming fact that the ATSs were launched from Ukraine” and considered it probable that they “could have been launched from the territory of one of the Central Asian republics”.
This thought could be considered as a mere hypothesis, if the deputy of the Russian State Duma – a high-ranking military officer did not specify the problem in such a way that “those steppe regions located in the north and northwest (of Central Asia) are practically uninhabited and are not monitored either from the air or by radar installations. , everything can be brought there.” The northern and northwestern regions of Central Asia are in the territory of Kazakhstan, and Kazakhstan is a founding member of the CSTO and a friendly country of Russia.
Russian President Putin last visited Astana at the beginning of last November, the parties highly appreciated the level of cooperation in all fields. It was in Astana that Vladimir Putin spoke about the Golden Horde and the historical and cultural commonalities of Russia. What has changed in the past few months that State Duma deputy Gurulev allows himself to doubt that it is possible to use ATS against Russia from “practically uninhabited areas” in Central Asia?
A question arises. and why CSTO does not control the airspace of its area of responsibility? The trust towards the countries of Central Asia is so great that the possibility of that “break” has been ruled out? How will people from Central Asia react to the statement of the deputy of the Russian State Duma, will they react or will they remain silent is another question.
The most important thing is that at the critical stage of the Ukrainian war, when experts are predicting either a large-scale attack by Russia or an extension of positional-exhausting military operations for another year or two, Moscow creates an information-propaganda background that it is “surrounded or an enemy” from almost all sides. , or at least with unfriendly countries.” Moreover, if until now the former Soviet republics bordering Europe or aspiring to Europe were “suspicious”, then General Gurulev is already pointing his arrows at Central Asia, specifically Kazakhstan.
Apparently, the prospect of deepening the energy and communication ties of the European Union with the countries of Central Asia plays a role. Russian President Putin assessed the situation after the “Crocus City Hall” terrorist attack as “very difficult”. Thousands of people working in Russia are leaving Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries. Putin urged the law enforcement officers not to allow “public manifestations of xenophobia and Islamophobia”. In this context, the suspicion of the deputy of the State Duma not only sounds extraordinary, but it can provoke additional tension even in interstate relations.
Is it possible that Russia is interested in the propaganda of a “vulnerable ring” around it to control public opinion and sentiments on the principle of “beyond the red line”? Moscow has repeatedly stated that the West has a plan to “open a second front”. But has the West strengthened itself so much in the CSTO zone of responsibility in Central Asia that it “created infrastructures for the launch of UAVs in practically uninhabited areas and trained operators?” If so, then what is the CSTO, a structure whose general secretary, by the way, is the representative of Kazakhstan?
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