In our podcast this week, hosts Aigerim Toleukhanova and Alisher Khamidov discuss why Russia’s war on Ukraine is prompting people in Central Asia to learn local languages. They also look at the challenges of border demarcation in the Fergana Valley and how the Kyrgyz government’s secretive negotiations with Uzbekistan have invited blowback.

Plus, Peter Leonard interviews Nurbek Bekmurzaev, who has been tracking Kyrgyzstan’s attempt to introduce religious education in schools.