Kazakhstan: Vaccine app offers hope of reopening, but there are hiccups Critics are concerned over potential privacy issues. Almaz Kumenov May 13, 2021
Kazakhstan: A diary from a vaccination Our Kazakhstan correspondent describes the waiting, the bureaucracy, and the anticlimax of getting his Sputnik V jab in Almaty. Almaz Kumenov Apr 22, 2021
Tajikistan: Huge Muslim Brotherhood trial ends with lengthy prison sentences The group's alleged leader was an Egyptian national teaching Arabic at a local state-run university. Apr 12, 2021
Kazakhstan: Officials under fire over vaccination failures Only a tiny fraction of the population has got the jab so far. Almaz Kumenov Apr 1, 2021
Tajikistan president pulls disappearing act over holiday season What makes Rahmon’s disappearance all very odd is that he is a particular devotee of the Nowruz spring equinox feast. Mar 23, 2021
As a possible new COVID-19 wave looms, Central Asia is napping The region appears wholly unprepared for the latest rise in cases. Mar 17, 2021
Kazakhstan: Vaccination campaign proceeds at snail’s pace Only 0.25 percent of the population aged over 15 have had the first injection. Joanna Lillis Mar 11, 2021
Kazakhstan: Authorities use pandemic to quash protests Restrictions on movement do not appear intended to stem the spread of COVID-19. Almaz Kumenov Mar 1, 2021
Tajikistan’s excess mortality data belie COVID-19 denialism Authorities have not made any attempt to explain the abnormally high number of deaths last year. Feb 23, 2021
Kazakhstan’s vaccination campaign faces skepticism roadblock Kazakhstan is struggling to drum up vaccine interest. Its leaders could help by getting the jab. Almaz Kumenov Feb 19, 2021
Tajikistan: Would-be future president’s interview underwhelms Mayor Emomali says city hall spent $1.14 million on bus stops. Feb 11, 2021
The killing of Kazakhstan’s bookies Gambling addiction has been a problem for many years in Kazakhstan, but authorities have been largely deaf to the laments of suffering relatives, until recently. Almaz Kumenov Feb 10, 2021
Armenia eschews lockdown, but enjoys COVID reprieve Analysts believe the country may be benefiting from herd immunity after devastation last year. Ani Mejlumyan Jan 27, 2021
Tajikistan: Writing for the president is on the wall (and then scrubbed off) Predictions of an imminent revolt may be wishful thinking. Jan 25, 2021
Central Asia vaccination plans underwhelm, but governments look unruffled Uzbekistan, Tajikistan are taking triumphalist stances on coronavirus. Jan 14, 2021