In our podcast this week, hosts Aigerim Toleukhanova and Alisher Khamidov discuss the connection between dangerous air pollution, unusually cold weather, and the regionwide energy crisis. Experts agree on some straightforward causes and solutions, but Kyrgyzstan’s president has his own theory and a proposal.

Kazakhs often wonder if they’ll be the Kremlin’s next target. So, many were pleased at how their Foreign Ministry handled Russian outrage over some yurts in Ukraine.

And as the Kyrgyz-Tajik border war becomes a frozen conflict with no one to mediate, our hosts discuss the blame game and the economic impacts.

Finally, recent weeks have seen several high-profile tragedies in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan become politicized. Khamidov and Toleukhanova discuss the horrors of healthcare in Central Asia, a problem that can’t be fixed by arresting doctors, and share personal stories of failing healthcare systems.