Kazakhstan’s defence minister fired days after 14 troops died in Caspian drills
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dismissed defence minister Lt General Dauren Kosanov, three days after 14 servicemen, most of them conscripts, drowned during naval exercises in the Caspian Sea.
President Tokayev approved the dismissal earlier on Sunday, his administration confirmed.
Kosanov’s departure follows one of the deadliest accidents involving Kazakhstan’s armed forces recently and comes as investigators examine decisions made by senior officers before and during the exercise.
The servicemen died during the Khazar Korgany-2026 naval exercises in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region on 24 September. Seventeen troops were swept into the Caspian Sea after weather conditions deteriorated sharply. Three were rescued, while the bodies of the remaining 14 were recovered during a search operation that ended the following morning.
Read more: Death toll from Kazakhstan’s naval drills rises to 14 after missing troops found dead in Caspian
Senior officers detained
Five senior military officials were detained earlier on Friday on suspicion of negligence and breaches of navigation rules that allegedly led to serious consequences.
Among them are the chief of staff and first deputy commander-in-chief of Kazakhstan’s Naval Forces, two military unit leaders, a marine company commander, and a boat captain involved in the exercises.
Investigators are investigating how the exercise was set up, whether safety requirements were followed, and whether commanders considered weather and vessel technical condition. More than 500 military personnel participated in drills.
Where it started: Nine Kazakh troops killed, seven missing during Caspian Sea naval drills
Who is Dauren Kosanov?
Kosanov, 56, is a lieutenant general of aviation who spent much of his career in Kazakhstan’s air force. He commanded air bases in Taldykorgan and Shymkent before becoming the commander-in-chief of the country’s Air Defence Forces.
He served as deputy defence minister from September 2024 before Tokayev appointed him defence minister on 8 June 2025. His dismissal means he leaves the post after about 15 months.
