Abstract

This chapter investigates the effect of the Ukraine war on political system in Kazakhstan. Since January unrest in 2022 various democracy indices and human rights watchdogs have been reporting rise of repressions and deterioration of civil liberties. How did the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine affect increasing authoritarianism in Kazakhstan? By utilizing a process-tracing technique author builds a timeline of events and political developments since January 2022 until 2025. Findings show that soon after the war broke out, the government ramped up prosecution of civic activists, independent journalists and media on charges of spreading disinformation and inciting interethnic hatred. In addition, it adopted Law on Online Platform, amended Law on Media and established Anti-Information Warfare Division to exert stricter control of media and internet space. These developments illustrate how Kazakhstan framed Ukraine war as an external threat to public order thereby justifying repressive measures and deepening self-censorship.