Kazakh Naval Infantry / Kazakh Marines
Kazakhstan has a Navy, which has a Naval Infantry formation, but this unit is not a counterpart to the US Marine Corps, as it has nothing in the way of amphibious assault capabilities. Public information about the Kazakh military is scarce generally, and information about this formation is particularly hard to come by. While there is no doubt of the existence of the Kazakh Naval Infantry, the matter is confused by the imprecision of the use of the term "Marine" which can also reference matters maritime more generally, as in merchant marine.
An official ceremony on 09 January 2006 led by Kazakh Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Nikolai Pospelov unveiled a new marine facility in western Kazakhstan, according to "Kazakhstan Today." The military facility, located in the Karakiya district about 20 kilometers from the port of Aqtau, provides new living quarters and training areas for a detachment of Kazakh marines. Having already cost an estimated 4 billion tenges (about $30 million), the facility is to be further expanded with the additional construction of another eight storage depots. A small Kazakh naval force of cruisers stationed in the Caspian Sea will also be assigned to the new facility.
On 26 March 2010 a coastal defence brigade concluded a three-day battalion-level tactical exercises at the Oymasha range on the Caspian shore near Aktau (administrative centre of western Kazakhstan's Mangistau Region). The scenario of the exercises envisaged a defensive battle involving live firing but without coming into close combat with the adversary. The exercises became a sort of final examination for marines - conscripts who joined the armed force in the spring of 2009. Following the exercises, the commander of the coastal defence brigade, Kanysh Abubakirov, "praised the well-coordinated and rapid activities of the marines."
The parade in the the Kazakh capital Astana's Independence Square was held 30 August 2011, on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of Kazakhstan's Constitution. Servicemen of Kazakh artillery and rocket forces carrying assault rifles marched followed by Kazakh paratroopers. Various other troops also marched in the parade. The parade was then continued by servicemen of the Kazakh air force. Kazakh marines also marched.
The second stage of the Tsentr 2011 large-scale "operational-tactical" exercise, on the Kapustin Yar range, was reported on by Russian Defence Ministry-controlled Zvezda TV in news bulletins on 23 September 2011. What was described as the main action as part of Tsentr 2011, in the Kazakh steppe on the Caspian coast, was shown and detailed. A "joint grouping of Russian and Kazakh forces, more than 3,500 strong", is involved. The location was named as Aktau. Denis Torchilkin, captioned as communications battalion commander from the 28th Separate Motor-Rifle Brigade, said that a communications post had been deployed "within an hour", which is how long it should take. The report went on to show Kazakh naval infantry in a field camp nearby. Tents dug in deep - to protect them against sand storms - were shown.
At Kazakhstan’s Independence Day on 16 December 2011 , more than 3000 people assembled peacefully in Zhanaozen Square, to promote the demands of the oil workers who have been on strike since May this year. Police and special forces attacked the meeting and opened fire on the strikers and their families. Correspondents of the Committee for a Workers’ International who were in the Mangistau region report that by 11.42 am this morning up to 70 workers have been shot dead and up to 500 have been wounded. All social media and mass media has been blocked by the Nazabayev regime. There was talk of 1,500 Kazakh Marines entering Zhanaozen to “restore order“ on behalf of the regime.
On December 27, the Prosecutor General’s Office initiated a criminal case on the fact of death caused by the use of weapons by police officers. “According to the latest data, a total of 16 people died as a result of the Zhanaozen events. As noted earlier, the death of some of them is not related to the actions of law enforcement bodies,” spokesperson of the Prosecutor General’s Office Nurdaulet Suindikov said. A government-led investigation resulted in the arrests of four law enforcement officials, including three with supervisory responsibilities, for excessive use of force. The report also revealed formal corruption accusations against two previous Zhanaozen mayors, a KazMunayGaz subsidiary director, and a Munay Ecology Ltd. director. According to the report, authorities arrested 55 civilians for participation in the riots or looting.
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