A group of environmental activists have demanded the closure of all Russian facilities in Kazakhstan. While the focus of the group's ire appears to be the Baikonur cosmodrome, Russia's main space launch facility, it also includes an additional seven military facilities.

The announcement was made at a conference in Astana today under the title "Russian military polygons in Kazakhstan: effect on human health and perspectives." And the comments about the effort by the president of the Ecological Fund of Kazakhstan, Musagali Duambekov, focused on the danger of the rocket fuel heptyl used in the Russian Proton rockets launched from Baikonur. Baikonur has been the focus of an increasing amount of controversy lately, with Kazakhstan's government suggesting that it wasn't happy with the terms of the agreement with Russia, and a failed launch this summer which reportedly spilled the toxic fuel over Kazakhstan villages.

The activists didn't specify the Russian facilities they wanted closed, or why, but Kazakhstan also hosts Russia's Sary Shagan missile testing range and the Balkhash early-warning radar site. Tengrinews reports that Russia pays about $27.5 million annually for the bases, and also provides a number of spots in its military academies for Kazakhstani cadets.

Given how much success civil society activists have had in changing other policies of the Kazakhstan government, we shouldn't hold our breath that this group will be able to effect any change. But it's an interesting development.