New Delhi, <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and <keyword id="6380984" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="kazakhstan" source="Orion">Kazakhstan</keyword> will begin on Monday a 13-day mega wargame in the <keyword id="649247" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kazakh" source="Orion">Kazakh</keyword> military base of Otar with a focus on boosting their counter- terror cooperation. The Indian contingent comprising 120 personnel from the <keyword id="15350" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="army" source="Orion">Army</keyword> and the Indian Air Force left for Kazakhstan on Sunday to participate in the seventh edition of the exercise 'Kazind-2023'. <br /><br />"In this edition of the exercise, both sides will practice conduct of counter terrorism operations in a sub-conventional environment under United Nations mandate," the defence ministry said. <br /><br />It said the two sides will rehearse various tactical drills such as "search and destroy operations, small team insertion and extraction operations etc." <br /><br />"The scope of the exercise also includes conduct of counter unmanned aerial system operations," the ministry said. <br /><br />"Exercise Kazind-2023 will provide an opportunity for both sides to gain an insight into the tactics, battle drills and procedures of each other, which is a prerequisite while operating under the ambit of the UN," it said in a statement. <br /><br />It said the joint training will develop the necessary skills, resilience and coordination to conduct military operations in semi-urban and urban environments. <br /><br />"Both sides will get a chance to practice drills on a wide spectrum of combat skills and mutually learn from each other," it said. <br /><br />"The exercise will provide an opportunity for the contingents to exchange views and share the best practices. <keyword id="19307555" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="exercise-kazind" source="Orion">Exercise Kazind</keyword> will further strengthen the bond between the two armies," the ministry added. <br /><br />The <keyword id="6354416" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-army" source="Orion">Indian Army</keyword> team comprises 90 personnel led by a battalion from the Dogra Regiment. <br /><br />The Kazakhstan contingent is mainly represented by personnel from Regional Command South of <keyword id="19307556" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kazakh-ground-forces" source="Orion">Kazakh Ground Forces</keyword>. <br /><br />Thirty personnel each from the two air forces will also participate in the exercise.

India, Kazakhstan to conduct 13-day military exercise to boost anti-terror cooperation

How a Chinese region that accounts for just 1.5% of the population became a testing ground for the most intrusive police state in the world

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia has found new ways of obtaining US tech for its cruise missiles.</li><li>It's using online retailers, and transporting components from neighboring countries. </li></ul><p>In the early weeks of the Ukraine war, the US imposed devastating sanctions aimed at crippling the Kremlin's war efforts and cutting off access to the technology it needed to make sophisticated weapons. </p><p>But 17 months later, Russia is exploiting loopholes in the West's sanctions regime to import US technology through neighboring states, online retailers, and a network of fake companies.</p><p>Officials, experts, and media reports have laid out the routes Russia is using to import the banned or restricted technology.</p><p>It has allowed the Kremlin to maintain a steady supply of missiles to devastate Ukraine's cities and infrastructure. </p><p>Ukrainian officials last Tuesday said that Russian K-100 cruise missiles used in recent attacks were built in 2023, using more than 30 foreign components, meaning that Western sanctions weren't working. </p><p>"Restrictions have already been imposed, but sanctions need to be strengthened so that Russia cannot obtain critical components and manufacture missiles," said <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/08/15/Russian-Kh-101-missiles-produced-this-year-sanctions-must-be-strengthened-Kyiv#:~:text=He%20stressed%3A%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak on Telegram.</a></p><h2><strong>The Kazakhstan back door for tech supplies </strong></h2><p>The US sanctions include a ban on the sale of technology that could be used by Russia to build weapons. </p><p>Russia's armaments industry has long depended on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-microchips-search-hints-at-problem-for-us-chinese-militaries-2023-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">US microchip technology for weapons</a> components such as the navigation systems for long-range missiles, as well as drones and planes. </p><div type="image" title="Russo-Kazakhstan border" height="684" width="912" msid="102944726" hostid="261"></div><p>Gary Sommerville, an open-source intelligence investigator with the UK's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), authored a <a href="https://static.rusi.org/RUSI-Silicon-Lifeline-final-updated-web_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report that</a> found 450 foreign-made components were being used in Russia's most sophisticated weapons. </p><p>He said Russia had adapted to the sanctions and built a successful covert procurement system centered in its neighbors and other nearby states, including Kazakhstan. </p><p>"Despite the initial sanctions and export control measures that were put in place just after the invasion of Ukraine, they have adapted and they're relying on these on these third countries," he told Insider.</p><p>"It's a problem we've never faced before, at least not on this scale," he said.</p><p>Kazakhstan's Minister of National Economy Alibek Kuantyrov in a statement to Insider said that though the country has not joined in Western sanctions against Russia, it was committed to slowing the flow of sanctioned goods. "The Kazakh government has consistently affirmed its commitment to ensuring that the territory of Kazakhstan is not used to circumvent sanctions," he said.</p><p>"The government has put in place stringent rules, including strict monitoring of sanctioned goods. The authorities apply necessary control measures to prevent secondary sanctions risks. Kazakhstan is open and transparent in these matters."</p><h2><strong>US chips for Russian missiles bought in bulk online </strong></h2><p>The Silverado Policy Accelerator, a US think tank, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/business/economy/us-russia-chips-sanctions.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> that Russia's chip imports declined sharply after the outbreak of the war, but climbed again as it diversified its supplies.</p><p>According to figures from the opposition group <a href="https://www.4freerussia.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/01/frf-sanctions-web.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Free Russia Foundation,</a> semiconductor imports to Russia increased from $1.8 billion in 2021 to $2.5 billion in 2022. </p><p>To obtain the parts, the Russian defense ministry set up a network of fake companies often registered in countries such as Kazakhstan and Armenia, said Sommerville, the RUSI expert.</p><p>The companies then obtain US tech in bulk through third-party retailers, and transport it back to Russia. </p><p>Colonel Mykola Danilyuk, a Ukrainian officer, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/07/27/ukraines-missile-cemetery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Economist</a> in July that Russia was using online stores to import US chip systems used to control missiles. Many of the parts are classified as "dual use" — where an item has civilian as well as military applications — and so aren't covered by the sanctions.</p><p>"You can simply order them on Aliexpress and export them in a couple of suitcases from Kazakhstan," Danilyuk told the publication. A spokesman for Aliexpress declined to comment on the record.</p><p>A search by Insider found the technology available on other online sale platforms such as Amazon and eBay. </p><p>An eBay spokesman told Insider that the company abides by the laws of the countries it operates in, and observes relevant international sanctions. </p><p>"All transactions involving Russian addresses have been suspended since March of 2022. We continuously monitor new transaction trends and update our controls as appropriate," said the spokesman. </p><p>Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. </p><p>According to the Economist report, logic boards from California-made Altera Flex have been used in building the KH-100 cruise missiles Russia has used in attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.</p><p>The report didn't suggest Altera Flex was breaking any rules. The company didn't reply to a request for comment. </p><p>Sommerville said that complex global trade systems meant it is difficult for compliance officers at corporations to know where a product may end up.  </p><p>He said it was unlikely more sanctions alone would cut off Russia's supply of American technology. Instead, he suggested increased coordination between governments and private companies to raise awareness of Russian supply routes.</p><p>"Anything that can be done to even slow down Russia's ability to rebuild stockpiles would have a net benefit for the Ukrainian forces on the ground," he said. </p>

How Russia is using US tech to build cruise missiles to devastate Ukraine, despite sanctions meant to stop it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>North Korea has a relatively large air force, but its combat aircraft are all decades old.</li><li>Even with an aging fleet, Pyongyang has been able to catch the attention of South Korea and the US.</li></ul><p>North Korea's missile program had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-missile-tests-show-off-underground-military-facilities-2022-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a record-setting year in 2022</a>, but Pyongyang has been using its aging air force to keep its neighbors on their toes as well.</p><p>On October 6, 12 North Korean jets <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-flies-12-warplanes-near-south-korean-border-prompting-air-force-scramble" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were detected</a> practicing air-to-ground attacks near the DMZ, prompting South Korea to scramble 30 of its fighters. Two days later, North Korea conducted a <a href="https://twitter.com/josephhdempsey/status/1579446682127073280" target="_blank" rel="noopener">massive aerial drill</a> reportedly <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/strike-drill-10122022142956.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involving</a> as many as 150 aircraft.</p><p>On November 4, 80 South Korean fighters <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/11/04/asia-pacific/north-korea-jets-south-korea-scramble/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were scrambled</a> after 180 North Korean planes were detected on South Korean radar. Finally, on December 26, five drones spent five hours <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-jets-north-korea-drones-8ae75ec612d676455529499a3f20eabb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flying in South Korean airspace</a> before returning unharmed to North Korea, with one of the drones <a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230105001500325?section=national/defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">briefly penetrating</a> a no-fly zone over South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office in Seoul.</p><p>The activity and scale is unusual given North Korea's air force is widely regarded as the weakest branch of North Korea's military.</p><h2>An elderly force</h2><div type="image" title="Air Force F-86 Sabre North Korea MiG-15" height="1278" width="2000" msid="97750723" hostid="261" sizebytes="238514"></div><p>Historically, the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force, or KPAAF, was large and relatively strong.</p><p>It was one of the first to introduce jets into its inventory thanks to support from its Soviet and Chinese patrons, and it even sent airmen abroad to fight in the <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/north-korean-pilots-the-skies-over-vietnam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vietnam</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-north-korea-dogfight-yom-kippur-war-2013-6" target="_top">Yom Kippur</a> wars.</p><p>Since the end of the Cold War, though, the KPAAF's capabilities have eroded even as it has maintained a relatively large number of planes.</p><p>North Korea was able to assemble fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters from kits supplied by the Soviet Union and China in the 1980s and 1990s, but Moscow and Beijing dramatically decreased their support after 1991.</p><div type="image" title="North South Korea air force MiG-19" height="944" width="1535" msid="97750724" hostid="261" sizebytes="113360"></div><p>In recent decades, sanctions imposed in response to North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons have prevented it from acquiring new aircraft, spare parts, and jet fuel, and have also stopped it from developing an advanced domestic aerospace industry. Pyongyang can now only <a href="https://www.nknews.org/2015/04/n-korea-manufacturing-own-light-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">build</a> light, single-engine propeller-driven airplanes.</p><p>Those limitations, combined with Pyongyang's prioritization of its nuclear, missile, and ground forces, has forced the KPAAF to cannibalize parts and equipment from its aging aircraft, rotate its active aircraft in and out of storage to extend their service lives, and <a href="https://www.nknews.org/pro/un-panel-names-north-korean-who-tried-smuggling-fighter-jet-parts-to-russia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turn to the black market</a>.</p><p>North Korea <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/mongolian-general-probed-for-north-korean-jet-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempted</a> to purchase MiG-21s and spare parts illegally from Mongolia in 2011 and was able to obtain some of the 40 MiG-21s it ordered from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/27/world/why-do-kazakhs-keep-trying-to-ship-migs-to-north-korea.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a faction of Kazakh officials</a> in 1999 before the government there halted the deliveries.</p><p>In 2013, a North Korean ship <a href="https://www.38north.org/2013/08/hgriffiths082713/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carrying weapons</a>, including two MiG-21s, hidden in a shipment of sugar from Cuba was seized as it tried to transit the Panama Canal.</p><h2>Composition and problems</h2><div type="image" title="North Korea MiG-21 Wonson" height="1331" width="2000" msid="97750725" hostid="261" sizebytes="32044"></div><p>The only thing the KPAAF can really boast about now is its size.</p><p>It is the second-largest branch of North Korea's military, with an estimated 110,000 personnel. The force is divided into four air divisions, each responsible for a specific region of the country.</p><p>It is also believed to have over 900 combat aircraft, <a href="https://www.dia.mil/Portals/110/Documents/News/NKMP.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the US Defense Intelligence Agency, though other estimates are as low as 500 combat aircraft. Most KPAAF aircraft are extremely outdated, however.</p><p>About 400 are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tmib20/current" target="_blank" rel="noopener">believed to be</a> MiG-15s. Another 350 are believed to be MiG-17s, -19s, and -21s. Those four models were introduced by the Soviets in the 1950s and entered service with the KPAAF around the same time.</p><p>The KPAAF also operates an estimated 80 <a href="https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/bomber/il-28.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Il-28 bombers</a> and 200 <a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=754" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An-2 transport planes</a>, both of which first flew in the 1940s. North Korea's, <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/13851/north-koreas-recent-drills-featured-one-its-most-dangerous-weapons-the-ancient-an-2-biplane" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An-2</a>s, which are single-engine propeller biplanes, are mostly used <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-north-korea-might-use-special-operations-troops-in-war-2021-10" target="_top">to airdrop special forces</a>, but they have also been seen attacking mock targets with rockets.</p><div type="image" title="Russia Antonov An-2" height="1207" width="2000" msid="97750726" hostid="261" sizebytes="312944"></div><p>The KPAAF's most modern aircraft — the MiG-29s fighters, MiG-23 interceptors, and Su-25 attack aircraft tasked primarily with defending Pyongyang — were acquired in the late 1980s.</p><p>Because of the lack of jet fuel and spare parts, the number of aircraft actually in active service is likely to be much smaller. It is estimated that only about 18 of the original 35 MiG-29s are serviceable, for instance.</p><p>Airworthiness does not automatically translate to combat-worthiness either. This is especially true given the suspected quality of KPAAF pilots, who the DIA says are restricted to flying just 12 to 25 hours a year. By comparison, US and British pilots get around 180 to 240 flying hours a year.</p><p>"Generally speaking, the KPAAF won't have the ability to deploy the entirety of its inventory in a wartime scenario," Ankit Panda, the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Insider.</p><h2>Future</h2><div type="image" title="North Korea MiG-29 Wonson" height="1335" width="2000" msid="97750728" hostid="261" sizebytes="59648"></div><p>The KPAAF is not without its strengths, however.</p><p>North Korea is keenly aware of the role South Korea's superior air force and sizeable missile arsenal <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-koreas-revitalized-three-axis-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">w</a><a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-koreas-revitalized-three-axis-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ould</a><a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-koreas-revitalized-three-axis-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> play in </a><a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-koreas-revitalized-three-axis-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a war</a>, and has invested in an integrated air-defense network while pursuing limited modernization efforts.</p><p>In 2017, the KPAAF introduced the <a href="https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/kn-06/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KN-06</a> surface-to-air missile system, which is believed to be similar to Russia's S-300. In 2020, it <a href="https://defence-blog.com/north-koreas-new-air-defense-missile-system-similar-to-russias-tor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> a new medium-range surface-to-air missile system similar in appearance to Russia's Tor. In September 2021, North Korea tested a <a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/kn-30.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new long-range </a><a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/kn-30.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surface-to-air missile</a><a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/kn-30.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> system</a> believed to be similar to Russia's S-400.</p><p>The KPAAF also operates a massive amount of anti-aircraft artillery, with the area around Pyongyang having "one of the most dense concentrations of AAA in the world," according to the DIA.</p><p>In terms of aircraft modernization, the future for North Korea is likely drones. It has been <a href="https://www.38north.org/2016/01/jbermudez011916/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pursuing drone development and acquisition</a> since the early 1990s and has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-drone-entered-no-fly-zone-seoul-during-last-weeks-intrusion-skorea-2023-01-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">about</a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-drone-entered-no-fly-zone-seoul-during-last-weeks-intrusion-skorea-2023-01-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 500 drones</a> of 20 types, according to a South Korean lawmaker.</p><div type="image" title="North Korean drone in South Korea" height="1156" width="2000" msid="97750729" hostid="261" sizebytes="192778"></div><p>In 2021, Kim Jong Un <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/could-north-korea-soon-field-advanced-stealth-drones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledged</a> to develop new reconnaissance drones capable of flying up to 310 miles. Recent satellite images have revealed a <a href="https://defence-blog.com/mysterious-unmanned-plane-spotted-in-north-korea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">possible new advanced model</a> in development. Pyongyang is likely watching the performance of the Iranian-made drones and loitering munitions that <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/what-irans-drones-ukraine-mean-future-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia </a><a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/what-irans-drones-ukraine-mean-future-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is using</a><a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/what-irans-drones-ukraine-mean-future-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> in Ukraine</a> and <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2023/01/north-korea-may-be-using-iranian-drones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may acquire some</a> for itself.</p><p>"UAVs are the big modernization focus at the moment," Panda said. "I think the North Koreans, like other resource-constrained militaries, see UAVs as an important asymmetric force multiplier and, in the case of reconnaissance UAVs, an enabler for more effective strike operations for their missile forces."</p><p>Considering how much North Korea's air force lags those of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-koreas-military-modernization-bigger-problem-than-north-korea-2021-2" target="_top">South Korea</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-fighter-planes-and-jets-the-us-military-has-used-2020-11" target="_top">the US</a>, drones are likely the only real way the KPAAF can still pose a threat. The flight by North Korean drones into South Korea in December — the first such flight <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/decades-after-blue-house-raid-north-korea-still-threatens-seoul-2023-1" target="_top">in five years</a> — showed what that threat could look like. (South Korea's military failed to shoot down any of the drones, prompting military leaders <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-speed-up-stealth-drones-after-north-drone-flights-2022-12" target="_top">to publicly apologize</a>.)</p><p>"Of all the concerns emanating from North Korea's conventional and nuclear forces, the crewed aircraft of the KPAAF are fairly minor," Panda said. "That said, drones are a growing concern for South Korea and will require new types of investments in short-range air-defense systems."</p>

North Korea's antique fighter jets are still keeping the US and South Korea on their toes

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d6fc1002e22af26c906a112-2400/2019-08-25t110912z1lynxnpef7o0d4rtroptp4usa-stocks-open.jpg" border="0" alt="FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Stocks dropped on Tuesday after China hinted it may retaliate after the US blacklisted Chinese tech firms.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>European stocks and US futures dropped on Tuesday after the US blacklisted Chinese technology companies over alleged human rights abuses, prompting China to hint it could retaliate.</strong></li><li><strong>The Trump administration added video-surveillance giants Hangzhou Hikvision and Zhejiang Dahua, Alibaba-backed AI titans SenseTime, and Megvii, and other Chinese companies to the list of firms that require a US government license to do business with US companies.</strong></li><li><strong>When a reporter asked a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman whether China would retaliate, he replied "stay tuned," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-08/china-says-stay-tuned-for-retaliation-over-u-s-tech-blacklist">according to Bloomberg</a>.</strong></li><li><strong><strong><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/">View Markets Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></strong><hr /></li></ul><p>European stocks and US futures dropped on Tuesday after the US blacklisted Chinese technology companies over alleged human rights abuses, prompting China to hint it may retaliate. The rising tensions come days before trade talks between officials from the world's two largest economies in Washington, tempering hopes of a deal to end the trade war.</p><p>"European stocks are in the red today as the market pares back hopes for a deal between the US and China this week as trade talks resume," Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com, said in a morning note. "US futures are also in the doldrums as China says it will retaliate against US blacklisting of Chinese companies," he added. "The posturing ahead of the talks is entirely in character and does not bode well for a positive outcome."</p><p><strong>Here's the market roundup as of 11:20 a.m. in London (6:20 a.m. EST):</strong></p><ul><li>European equities have dropped with Germany's <strong>DAX</strong> down 1%, Britain's <strong>FTSE 100</strong> down 0.3%, and the <strong>Euro Stoxx 50</strong> down 0.9%.</li><li>Asian indexes closed higher after several days of holiday closures. The <strong>Shanghai Composite</strong> rose 0.3%, Hong Kong's <strong>Hang Seng</strong> rose 0.3%, and Japan's <strong>Nikkei</strong> rose 1%.</li><li>US stocks are set to open lower. Futures underlying the <strong>Dow Jones Industrial Average</strong> fell 0.7%, while <strong>S&amp;P 500</strong> and <strong>Nasdaq</strong> futures slid 0.6%.</li><li>Oil prices have slumped with <strong>West Texas Intermediate</strong> down 0.7% at $52.40, and <strong>Brent</strong> down 0.5% at $58.10.</li></ul><p>The Trump administration has added video-surveillance giants Hangzhou Hikvision and Zhejiang Dahua, Alibaba-backed AI titans SenseTime and Megvii, and other Chinese firms to the list of companies that require a US government license to do business with US companies, <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-22210.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=pi+subscription+mailing+list&amp;utm_source=federalregister.gov">the US Commerce Department said in a notice</a>.</p><p>"These entities have been implicated in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups," the government agency said.</p><p>China was displeased with the decision, which follows America's blacklisting of Chinese telecoms group Huawei on national security grounds earlier this year.</p><p>"We urge the US side to immediately correct its mistake, withdraw the relevant decision and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," a spokesman for China's foreign ministry said, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-08/china-says-stay-tuned-for-retaliation-over-u-s-tech-blacklist">according to Bloomberg</a>. "China will continue to take firm and forceful measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests."</p><p>When a reporter asked him whether China would retaliate, the spokesman replied "stay tuned," Bloomberg reported.</p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2019?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=finance&amp;itm_campaign=10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2019"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5d5ed980adbcf82f1f1bc60b" alt="Exclusive FREE Slide Deck: 10 Up and Coming Fintechs by Business Insider Intelligence" border="0" style="margin: 0 auto !important; width: 100% !important; min-width: 280px !important; max-width: 640px !important" /></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ufo-video-department-of-defense-scientists-dont-care-2018-1">Most scientists don't care about UFO videos because they don't indicate extraterrestrial life</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/7ydYM9hW-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Stocks are dropping after China hints at retaliation after the US blacklisted Chinese tech firms

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e5d12a69beddf9633cbd89-2200/russian-tu-95-bombers.jpg" border="0" alt="Russian Tu-95 bombers" data-mce-source="Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Russian Tu-95 bombers fly during a joint Kazakh-Russian military exercise at Otar military range, some 150km (93 miles) west of Almaty, October 3, 2008. " /><p class="source"><span>Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russian Tu-95 bombers during a Kazakh-Russian military exercise at Otar military range, some 100 miles west of Almaty, October 3, 2008.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Russia is preparing for what officials there have called the country's largest military exercise since the Cold War.</strong></li><li><strong>China and Mongolia are also joining, both for the first time.</strong></li><li><strong>The US plans to monitor the exercises seeing them as "strategic messaging" by Moscow and Beijing.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>On Friday, two US F-22 Raptor fighter jets <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-f-22-jets-escort-russian-strategic-bombers-over-arctic-ocean-ifax-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intercepted</a> two Russian nuclear-capable Tu-95MC strategic bombers flying over the Arctic Ocean, escorting them for part of their journey over the waters of the Arctic and the Bering and Okhotsk seas.</p><p>The US planes tracked the Russian bombers until they left the area, flying west over the Aleutian Islands.</p><p>A <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> official <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/russian-nuclear-bombers-intercepted-near-alaska-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Washington Free Beacon that the bombers may have been practicing for a cruise-missile strike on US missile-defense sites and radars in Alaska - which may be a feature of the Russia's upcoming massive Vostok-18 exercise that Russian officials have said will be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-preps-for-vostok-2018-military-exercise-amid-tensions-with-nato-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the largest such drill</a> since the Cold War.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59c9385925acc2e5008b58e4-2030/screen shot 2017-09-25 at 10510 pm.png" border="0" alt="Russian armor Zapad-2017" data-mce-source="Russian Ministry of Defense" data-mce-caption="Russian armored vehicles participating in Zapad-2017 exercises." /><p class="source"><span>Russian Ministry of Defense</span></p><p class="caption">Russian armored vehicles participating in Zapad-2017 exercises.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russian troops have already undergone "snap inspections" in preparation for the exercise, the active portion of which will take place between September 11 to September 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1019876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said this week</a>, according to Russian state-media outlet Tass.</p><p>Exercises will take place at five ground testing areas and four aerial testing areas over the Sea of Japan and the Bering and Okhotsk seas.</p><p>"Aircraft have been flying maximum range sorties with refueling in flight and practicing landings at tactical airfields. Naval ships have been performing combat maneuvering and firing practices," Shoigu said, according to Tass.</p><p>Shoigu said in late August that about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-preps-for-vostok-2018-military-exercise-amid-tensions-with-nato-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">300,000 Russian personnel and 1,000 aircraft</a>, including drones, would take part, adding <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1019876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this week</a> that "up to 80 combat and logistics ships and up to 36,000 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles" will be involved.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59a53d925124c95c67ee84ba-800/ussia-rejects-allegations-it-will-use-war-games-to-launch-an-invasion-2017-8.jpg" border="0" alt="FILE PHOTO: Servicemen take part in the joint war games Zapad-2013 (West-2013), attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, at the Khmelevka range on Russia's Baltic Sea in the Kaliningrad Region, September 26, 2013. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="FILE PHOTO: Servicemen take part in the joint war games Zapad-2013 at the Khmelevka range on Russia's Baltic Sea in the Kaliningrad Region" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russian servicemen take part in the Zapad-2013, or West-2013, war games on Russia's Baltic Sea coast, September 26, 2013.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia's general staff, <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1020244" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said Thursday</a> that 21 formations had been mobilized in 10 regions for the exercise, the main purpose of which, he said, "is to check the level of training that can be assessed only in an exercise of proper scale."<br /></span></p><p><span>"This exercise, to be held on the bilateral basis, will be the strictest test of combat skills and the military districts' readiness for ground, air and naval operations," he added.<br /></span></p><p><span>"Involved in the exercise will be forces from the Eastern and Central federal districts, the Northern Fleet, and Airborne Forces, as well as long-range, military transport and tactical aircraft of Russia's Aerospace Force," Gerasimov said, according to Tass.</span></p><p><span>Gerasimov also said that Chinese and Mongolian personnel will take part "side by side" with Russian forces.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b871c5780eb351f008b57ec-1400/2017-12-05t101219z1221199265rc179584f810rtrmadp3china-russia.jpg" border="0" alt="Russia China police border guard" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Stringer" data-mce-caption="Chinese armed police and Russian national guards take part in a joint counter-terrorism drill in Yinchuan in China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, December 5, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Stringer</span></p><p class="caption">Chinese armed police and Russian national guards take part in a joint counter-terrorism drill in Yinchuan in China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, December 5, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Shoigu said this week that up to 3,500 Chinese army personnel would be involved "in the main scenario at the Tsugol proving ground" in Russia's Eastern Military District.</span></p><p><span>China's involvement has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-vostok-18-war-games-will-include-china-for-the-first-time-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elicited surprise</a>, given that Vostok, or East, has long been seen as Moscow's preparation for a potential conflict with Beijing. China and Russia have done joint drills before, but this appears to be the first time Beijing has taken part in the Vostok exercise.</span></p><p><span>China "is now being invited to join as a friend and even a quasi-ally," Alexander Gabuev, a China expert at the Carnegie Moscow Center, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/world/europe/russia-military-drills.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The New York Times</a> in August.</span></p><p><span>The exercise is also expected to include simulated nuclear-weapons attacks, US officials <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinese-military-joining-russians-nuclear-war-games/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Free Beacon</a>. A Pentagon official said the US would watch the war games closely, calling them "strategic messaging" by both China and Russia.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5548f2626da8118363347b37-2400/rtr3q036.jpg" border="0" alt="putin xi china russia" data-mce-source="Reuters/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin" data-mce-caption="China's President Xi Jinping (L) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin inspect the honor guard as they attend a ceremony to open the Chinese-Russian joint naval drills in Shanghai May 20, 2014. " /><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin</span></p><p class="caption">Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a ceremony to open Chinese-Russian joint naval drills in Shanghai, May 20, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Mongolia is also participating for the first time, and contingents from there and China are "completing coordination and adjustment at the Tsugol proving ground," Gerasimov said, referring to an area near the eastern intersection of the three countries' borders - where Gabuev <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/world/europe/russia-military-drills.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> they might be restricted so Russian troops elsewhere could train for a potential clash with China.</span></p><p><span>NATO has also criticized the exercise, with a spokesman for the alliance <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-preps-for-vostok-2018-military-exercise-amid-tensions-with-nato-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> it "fits into a pattern we have seen over some time: a more assertive Russia, significantly increasing its defense budget and its military presence."</span></p><p><span>Russia's deputy defense minister, Col-Gen. Alexander Fomin <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1020233" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> this week that the upcoming drills "lacked the slightest traces" of "anti-NATO bias or aggressiveness." </span></p><p><span>Fomin also said Russian military personnel had been briefed on security and safety measures in accordance with Moscow's agreements with neighboring countries, including the US.</span><span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/timothy-snyder-russia-not-as-strong-as-you-think-2018-4">Why Russia may not be as strong as most people think</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/m6UZpcAT-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Russia is gearing up for its biggest war game since the Cold War - here's what Moscow says is planned

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5654263edd089519058b4771-1681-1261/rtx96lp.jpg" alt="Sukhoi Su-24 jet fighter Russian" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov" data-mce-caption="A Sukhoi Su-24 jet fighter drops flares during a joint Kazakh-Russian millitary exercise at Otar millitary range, some 150 km (93 miles) west of Almaty October 3, 2008."><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov</span></p><p class="caption"> A Sukhoi Su-24 jet fighter drops flares during a joint Kazakh-Russian military exercise at Otar millitary range, some 150 km (93 miles) west of Almaty October 3, 2008. </p></img></div><p></p></div></div>According to reports breaking on Tuesday morning, a military jet has been shot down on the Turkish-Syrian border.&#xa0;<p><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUKKBN0TD0IS20151124">According to Reuters</a>, the Turkish military is claiming that it shot down a jet after it violated the country's airspace and the pilot did not respond to warnings.</p><p>Sputnik News, a Russian state-owned media service, has <a href="http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151124/1030638683/russia-syria-turkey-plane-crash.html">confirmed that the jet belonged to the military</a>. It is a Su-24 model, and the report says it was shot from the ground. The Russian defence ministry also reportedly says that the jet was in Syrian airspace.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Russian military forces are working in support of President Bashar Al-Assad, and their presence has grown considerably since September, when airstrikes began.</p><p>Here, from Haaretz, is a video reportedly showing the jet crash:</p><p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q3RBQI_bFf0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p>

REPORT: A Russian jet has been shot down by Turkey on the Syrian border

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5600747fbd86ef11008bbed0-1024-683/1024px-suhkoi_su-30m-2_flanker-c_rf-95621_10_red_(8583739294).jpg" alt="Suhkoi Su 30M" data-mce-source="Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons" data-link="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suhkoi_Su-30M-2_Flanker-C_RF-95621_10_red_(8583739294).jpg" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suhkoi_Su-30M-2_Flanker-C_RF-95621_10_red_(8583739294).jpg">Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Su-30M.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Earlier this month, four Russian Su-30M attack planes popped up at the <span>Bassel al Assad air base near the Syrian city of Latakia, intelligence firm STRATFOR <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photo-russia-is-loading-its-new-syria-airbase-with-attack-planes-2015-9">reports</a>.</span></p><p><span>The Su-30Ms, which were originally mistook for Su-27s, are an updated model of a tried and true air frames in the Su-27 family.</span></p><p><span> The jets are super-maneuverable, with twin jet engines and small canards, or fore wings, behind the cockpit. The thrust vectoring engines and these small canards give the Su-30M truly awesome agility in the air.</span></p><p><span>Russian pilots are fond of a move called the <span>"Pugachev's Cobra," where they climb at an almost vertical angle before leveling out, making a serpentine curve through the sky as they do.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/56007415bd86ef18008bc067-794-442/pugachev's cobra.gif" alt="Pugachev's Cobra" data-mce-source="?????????? ??????" data-mce-caption="A Su-30M performing Pugachev's Cobra." data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=147&amp;v=9Eb7O3YZrJE" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=147&amp;v=9Eb7O3YZrJE">?????????? ??????</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Su-30M shows off its impressive climbing ability.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p>Hypothetically, the Su-30M's maneuverability would give it an advantage over US models like the F-16 in a dogfight.</p><p>The situation is potentially worrisome as the US is currently carrying out air strikes from Turkey's Incirlik air base, a little over a hundred miles away from Russia's forces in Latakia, Syria. However, US aircraft have so far carried out strikes only against the Nusra Front and ISIS in Syria.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/560173489dd7cc1b008bc45b-889-699/screen_shot_2015-09-22_at_11_23_47_am.jpg" alt="Incirlik Latakia US Russian airbases" data-mce-source="Google" /><p class="source"><span>Google</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In addition to the Su-30s, STRATFOR has also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photo-russia-is-loading-its-new-syria-airbase-with-attack-planes-2015-9">identified</a> the presence of a dozen smaller aircraft that are likely Su-25 Frogfoots.</p><p>These aircraft will be used for ground-attack operations and could provide cover to the Assad regime against ongoing rebel offenses near to Latakia. Operationally, Frogfoots play a similar role to that of the US A-10 Warthog. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c237442acae7f4028bd61a-2200-1444/rtx1mqmy.jpg" alt="Russian Su-25" data-mce-source="Maxim Shemetov/REUTERS" data-mce-caption="Russian Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack planes perform during the Aviadarts military aviation competition at the Dubrovichi range near Ryazan, Russia, August 2, 2015. The aviation contest is part of the International Army Games, which are held in Russia from August 1-15, with participants from 17 countries, according to organisers." /><p class="source"><span>Maxim Shemetov/REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Russian Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack planes perform during the Aviadarts military aviation competition at the Dubrovichi range near Ryazan, Russia, August 2, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Citing an unnamed US official, the New York Times reports that Russia has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/world/middleeast/russia-deploys-ground-attack-aircraft-to-syrian-base.html">deployed</a> an additional dozen Su-24 Fencers to Syria.</p><p>These planes function as long-range attack aircraft which would be capable of carrying out targeted airstrikes against rebel positions throughout Syria. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541c373769beddba64834890-1773-1330/russian-su-24.jpg" alt="Russian Su-24" data-mce-source="Shamil Zhumatov/REUTERS" data-mce-caption="A Sukhoi Su-24 jet fighter drops flares during a joint Kazakh-Russian millitary exercise at Otar millitary range" /><p class="source"><span>Shamil Zhumatov/REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">A Sukhoi Su-24 jet fighter drops flares during a joint Kazakh-Russian millitary exercise at Otar millitary range</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>This mixture of planes signifies a serious investment on Moscow's part towards bolstering the Assad regime. The deployment could be the start of a serious Russian offensive throughout wider Syria. </p><p id="yui_3_18_1_1_1442935913458_891">"They are not going to sit around and defend the airfield or maybe even the province of Latakia," Washington Institute for Near East Policy analyst Jeffrey White <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/russia-deployed-28-combat-aircraft-syria-us-officials-173419582.html">told</a> the AFP. </p><p>"This kind of aircraft suggests that the Russians intend to exert their combat power outside of Latakia in an offensive role."</p><p>In total, Russia is believed to have sent 28 attack aircraft to Syria. This is in addition to an estimated 15 Hip transport helicopters and an estimated five Hind attack helicopters. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5318e41f6bb3f79b40529817-1825-980/screen shot 2014-03-06 at 4.05.19 pm-1.png" alt="Russian Hind Helicopter" data-mce-source="Screenshot / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2M_tzB20M" /><p class="source"><span>Screenshot / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2M_tzB20M">www.youtube.com</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Russian Hind helicopter.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/aerial-video-explosion-blast-site-tianjin-china-2015-8">New aerial footage shows aftermath of explosion in China</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tkdzUxdzqidr5j3bDhTKNZS1v2q3Z4nZ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'tkdzUxdzqidr5j3bDhTKNZS1v2q3Z4nZ',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

These are the attack planes Russia is sending to Syria

<p><em><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51e1dd3c6bb3f73c44000045-1200-800/rtxxwat.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="astana baiterek" width="800" /><p class="source">REUTERS / Shamil Zhumatov</p></div></div><br /></span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">It's party-time on spaceship Nursultan.</span></em></p>
<p><keyword id="6380984" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kazakhstan">KAZAKHSTAN</keyword>'S capital, Astana, celebrated its 15th anniversary on July 6th with a petrodollar-fuelled party. It happened also to be the 73rd birthday of the country's strongman president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who commissioned this epitome of surreal bombast rising from the Central Asian steppe.</p>
<p>During the festivities, crowds gathered around Astana's architectural landmarks as the president's graven image gazed benevolently down from a bas-relief on a high white column meant to represent the country emerging from the ashes of the Soviet Union. Mr Nazarbayev has ruled this state of 17m people, scattered over a territory the size of Western Europe, with an iron fist. He is one of only two Central Asian leaders to have been in power since before the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Islam Karimov, next door in Uzbekistan, is the other. (They loathe each other.)</p>
<p>Without Mr Nazarbayev, Astana would not exist. In 1997 it replaced leafy Almaty, 750 miles (1,200km) to the south near the Chinese border, as Kazakhstan's capital (though Almaty remains the bigger city). In the days when <keyword id="6359072" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="oil">oil</keyword> prices were high, the president decreed that a space-age metropolis would rise from the marshy land on the left bank of the Yesil river. The city bakes in summer and plunges to -40°C in winter. For the president, Astana is the site for flights of architectural fancy as extreme as the continental climate. The capital is meant both to awe his adoring public and to beam soft power across the Central Asian steppe where Kazakhstan, as the economic powerhouse, has pretensions to regional leadership.</p>
<p>Astana has all the weirdness of Pyongyang and little of the human scale of Canberra. It is a collection of monuments and boulevards on a scale that screams "L'état, c'est moi". The president surveys his city from his marble-clad, blue-and-gold-domed palace. The jewel in Astana's crown is usually reckoned to be a Norman Foster pyramid, the Palace of Peace and Accord. It flashes neon at night, houses an academy of Turkic studies and is supposed to promote reconciliation among the world's religions. It is one of several buildings that displays Mr Nazarbayev's obsession for hosting conventions, expositions and conferences.</p>
<p>A study in Asian authoritarian kitsch is provided by the Bayterek tower, which is meant to represent a poplar tree holding the golden egg of the Samruk, the mythical bird of Kazakh happiness. On the observation deck, 100 metres (330 feet) above ground, visitors may lay their hand in the gilded imprint of the president's and make a wish. More visually pleasing is the Khan Shatyr ("the Khan's Marquee"), a vast transparent tent made of space-age fabric. Meant to echo the nomads that exist no more, the 35-acre (14-hectare) site houses, among other things, a shopping mall and a beach resort. It is where Mr Nazarbayev held a lavish 70th-birthday bash.</p>
<p>The ruler is a modern-day khan himself, with a thriving cult industry. He is immortalised in statues, in films and in print as a children's fairy-tale hero. He rules Kazakhstan as a one-man show, rigging elections, muzzling the media and brooking no opposition. Yet Western leaders beat a path to his door. Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, was in Astana this month drumming up business. A former British prime minister, Tony Blair, has a consultancy contract as Mr Nazarbayev's sultan of spin. The president longs for the Nobel peace prize.</p>
<p>He is no crude dictator. He has a popular touch, and many Kazakhstanis like the political stability and rising living standards his regime supplies. Elsewhere in the region, both are in short supply. Yet, in one of the world's top 20 oil producers, the dollars are not trickling down to everyone. In late 2011 a growing gulf between haves and have-nots came into focus when security forces opened fire on striking oil workers in the western energy hub of Zhanaozen, killing 15. The turmoil erupted just as Mr Nazarbayev was opening his latest architectural indulgence in Astana, an arch marking Kazakhstan's 20th year of independence. The contrast between Astana's spaceship cityscape and the shabby streets of Zhanaozen, with their crumbling, Soviet-era, rabbit-hutch housing, could hardly be greater.</p>
<p>Astana's name could scarcely be more mundane: it means "capital" in Kazakh. Yet its Persian derivation has connotations of a "royal porte", and the widespread belief among Kazakhstanis is that the city will one day be renamed Nursultan, after the man who had it built. Mr Nazarbayev has modestly rejected such an idea, but does not appear to mind his capital assuming his name after he is gone. It must be the second best thing to being immortal.</p>
<p>Click <a href="http://www.store.eiu.com">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist</p>
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If You Thought Dubai Was Insane, You Should See Kazakhstan



	
		<em></em>
		<p class="source">
			<em>REUTERS / Shamil Zhumatov</em></p>
	

<br />

<p>
	<em><span>It's party-time on spaceship Nursultan.</span></em></p>
<p> <keyword id="6380984" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kazakhstan">KAZAKHSTAN</keyword>'S capital, Astana, celebrated its 15th anniversary on July 6th with a petrodollar-fuelled party. It happened also to be the 73rd birthday of the country's strongman president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who commissioned this epitome of surreal bombast rising from the Central Asian steppe.</p>
<p> During the festivities, crowds gathered around Astana's architectural landmarks as the president's graven image gazed benevolently down from a bas-relief on a high white column meant to represent the country emerging from the ashes of the <keyword id="6365126" type="COUNTRY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Soviet-Union">Soviet Union</keyword>. Mr Nazarbayev has ruled this state of 17m people, scattered over a territory the size of <keyword id="155805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Western-Europe">Western Europe</keyword>, with an iron fist. He is one of only two Central Asian leaders to have been in power since before the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. <keyword id="359772" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Islam-Karimov">Islam Karimov</keyword>, next door in Uzbekistan, is the other. (They loathe each other.)</p>
<p> Without Mr Nazarbayev, Astana would not exist. In 1997 it replaced leafy Almaty, 750 miles (1,200km) to the south near the Chinese border, as Kazakhstan's capital (though Almaty remains the bigger city). In the days when <keyword id="6359072" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="oil">oil</keyword> prices were high, the president decreed that a space-age metropolis would rise from the marshy land on the left bank of the Yesil river. The city bakes in summer and plunges to -40°C in winter. For the president, Astana is the site for flights of architectural fancy as extreme as the continental climate. The capital is meant both to awe his adoring public and to beam soft power across the Central Asian steppe where Kazakhstan, as the economic powerhouse, has pretensions to regional leadership.</p>
<p> Astana has all the weirdness of <keyword id="55327" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Pyongyang">Pyongyang</keyword> and little of the human scale of Canberra. It is a collection of monuments and boulevards on a scale that screams "L'état, c'est moi". The president surveys his city from his marble-clad, blue-and-gold-domed palace. The <keyword id="17020" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Jewel">jewel</keyword> in Astana's crown is usually reckoned to be a <keyword id="353618" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Norman-Foster">Norman Foster</keyword> pyramid, the Palace of Peace and Accord. It flashes neon at night, houses an academy of Turkic studies and is supposed to promote reconciliation among the world's religions. It is one of several buildings that displays Mr Nazarbayev's obsession for hosting conventions, expositions and conferences.</p>
<p>
	A study in Asian authoritarian kitsch is provided by the Bayterek tower, which is meant to represent a poplar tree holding the golden egg of the Samruk, the mythical bird of Kazakh happiness. On the observation deck, 100 metres (330 feet) above ground, visitors may lay their hand in the gilded imprint of the president's and make a wish. More visually pleasing is the Khan Shatyr ("the Khan's Marquee"), a vast transparent tent made of space-age fabric. Meant to echo the nomads that exist no more, the 35-acre (14-hectare) site houses, among other things, a shopping mall and a beach resort. It is where Mr Nazarbayev held a lavish 70th-birthday bash.</p>
<p> The ruler is a modern-day khan himself, with a thriving cult industry. He is immortalised in statues, in films and in print as a children's fairy-tale hero. He rules Kazakhstan as a one-man show, rigging elections, muzzling the media and brooking no opposition. Yet Western leaders beat a path to his door. Britain's prime minister, <keyword id="6430216" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="David-Cameron">David Cameron</keyword>, was in Astana this month drumming up business. A former British prime minister, <keyword id="63764" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Tony-Blair">Tony Blair</keyword>, has a consultancy contract as Mr Nazarbayev's sultan of spin. The president longs for the Nobel peace prize.</p>
<p> He is no crude dictator. He has a popular <keyword id="30450" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="Touch">touch</keyword>, and many Kazakhstanis like the political stability and rising living standards his regime supplies. Elsewhere in the region, both are in short supply. Yet, in one of the world's top 20 oil producers, the dollars are not trickling down to everyone. In late 2011 a growing gulf between haves and have-nots came into focus when security forces opened fire on striking oil workers in the western energy hub of Zhanaozen, killing 15. The turmoil erupted just as Mr Nazarbayev was opening his latest architectural indulgence in Astana, an arch marking Kazakhstan's 20th year of independence. The contrast between Astana's spaceship cityscape and the shabby streets of Zhanaozen, with their crumbling, Soviet-era, rabbit-hutch housing, could hardly be greater.</p>
<p>
	Astana's name could scarcely be more mundane: it means "capital" in Kazakh. Yet its Persian derivation has connotations of a "royal porte", and the widespread belief among Kazakhstanis is that the city will one day be renamed Nursultan, after the man who had it built. Mr Nazarbayev has modestly rejected such an idea, but does not appear to mind his capital assuming his name after he is gone. It must be the second best thing to being immortal.</p>
<p>
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