Kurultai deputies pledge 146.65 million tenge for families of soldiers killed in Caspian Sea drills

September 30, 2026 at 01:34 PM2 min

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Kurultai deputies have collected 146.65 million tenge in personal funds for the families of soldiers killed during military exercises in the Caspian Sea on September 24. Deputy Unzila Shapak said the collection is still ongoing and the funds will be transferred to the Ұлттық рух foundation, which will distribute them to the families. She added that deputies have no legal authority to intervene in the foundation's work.

Key Facts

Kurultai deputies have pledged 146.65 million tenge in personal funds for the families of soldiers killed in the Caspian Sea drills.
The funds will be transferred to the Ұлттық рух foundation, which will distribute them to the families after the collection is completed.
Deputy Unzila Shapak said deputies have no legal authority to intervene in the foundation's work and could not give a date for the transfer.
On September 24, 17 servicemen were swept into the Caspian Sea during exercises in Mangystau region; 14 died.
Five Ministry of Defense officers have been detained in a criminal case over negligence and violation of navigation rules.

Fund Collection and Distribution

Deputy Unzila Shapak announced at a parliamentary briefing that the collection of money for the families of the deceased soldiers is still ongoing. Once the collection is completed, the Ұлттық рух foundation will transfer the funds to the recipients. Shapak stated that deputies have no legal authority to directly intervene in the foundation's activities, so she could not name an exact date for the transfer. The foundation will distribute the money together with the commission investigating the tragedy, according to Shapak.

Deputy Contributions

The total pledged amount is 146.65 million tenge, contributed by deputies from their personal funds. Five deputies—Aidarbek Khodzhanazarov, Ruslan Idrisov, Meirkhat Kasymbaev, Bekzhan Aitkulov, and Makhambet Khasenov—each contributed 20 million tenge. Three deputies contributed 10 million tenge each, three contributed 5 million tenge each, and Begaly Eraliev contributed 500,000 tenge. Shapak added that deputies personally met with the families of the deceased and injured servicemen and conveyed written condolences from Kurultai Chairman Aibek Dadabay.

Caspian Tragedy and Investigation

On September 24, during exercises in Mangystau region, 17 servicemen were swept into the Caspian Sea; 14 of them died. A criminal case has been opened over negligence and violation of navigation rules, and five Ministry of Defense officers have been detained. A government commission headed by Aida Balayeva is also investigating the circumstances. The deceased servicemen were posthumously awarded the Aibyn order, and the three survivors received the Erligi Ushin medal.