Five officials from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Defense have been detained following the deaths of military personnel during the "Khazar Qorg'ani – 2026" exercises. Among the suspects are senior and top-ranking commanders of the Armed Forces. According to the Kazakh Interior Ministry, those detained include the Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the Naval Forces, two military unit commanders, as well as commanders of a marine corps company and a boat.

All five have been granted suspect status and placed in a temporary detention facility of the Aktau police department. A pre-trial investigation is underway. The investigation is establishing who made decisions during the preparation and execution of the training mission, whether safety requirements were observed, and whether weather and hydrometeorological conditions were taken into account.

The technical condition of the boat and the actions of all officials responsible for conducting the exercises and ensuring the safety of servicemen are also being examined. A legal assessment of each suspect's actions will be given after all circumstances of the case are established. The investigation is under special control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan.

Recall that the tragedy occurred on September 24 during exercises on the Caspian Sea coast. Servicemen were disembarking from the boat "Qaisar" approximately 43 kilometers from Aktau. Due to difficult weather conditions, 19 people ended up in the sea; three were rescued, while the rest died. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared September 25 a day of national mourning.

Source: podrobno.uz