November 22, 2022

Too Hot for Kazakhstan


Too Hot for Kazakhstan
Polina Gagarina. Wikimedia Commons, Okras.

Russian Singer Polina Gagarina reportedly had a concert in the Kazakh city of Almaty cancelled because of her outspokenness in support of the war in Ukraine.

The concert, originally scheduled for November 14, was nixed quietly. No official announcement was made, and advertisements were pulled without warning, although Gagarina's agents did post updates online.

This turn of events is significant because Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations have traditionally hewn closely to Moscow in international politics. A turn of opinion in Kazakhstan could reveal that the locals are pulling away from Putin's lead.

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