Kazakhstan: Vice President Yerlan Karin details probe into Aktau military exercise deaths

Kazakhstan's Vice President Yerlan Karin has revealed details of personnel decisions, arrests and planned reforms after 14 servicemen died during military exercises in the Mangystau region. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has personally taken control of aid to the families, an objective investigation and measures to prevent a repeat of the disaster. Nationwide mourning was declared, and all the dead soldiers were posthumously awarded the Aybyn Order.

A pre-trial investigation is under the special supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office and the Interior Ministry. Several Defense Ministry officials have been detained as suspects. A special charity fund has been set up for the families, with a public commission led by Bekmurat Zhusupov, a member of the Halyk Kenesi, overseeing the distribution of donations.

The President replaced the Defense Ministry's leadership, appointed a new head and set up a special commission to review the army. Military units have seven days to submit a first report on the financial and material audit of all units, followed by a ten-day deadline for a document on fully rebuilding the ministry.