Photo: freepik.com
On March 26, debris from yet another unidentified drone was discovered in western Kazakhstan, Kursiv.kz reports. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in the Zhanibek district of the West Kazakhstan Region (WKO). The wreckage was found in a remote area, far from populated settlements, and local police are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
According to Uralskaya Nedelya, the wreckage was initially spotted by border patrol officers. This marks the third such incident in March and the fourth since the beginning of the year in WKO. On February 18, local residents discovered an unidentified UAV near the village of Uyaly in the Bokeyorda district. Another drone crashed on March 18 in the Taskala district; it measured three meters in length and was found intact with no visible damage. On March 25, fragments of yet another drone were discovered in Zhanibek district.
Commenting on the incidents, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Shaikh-Hasan Zhazyqbayev, pointed out that the Bokeyorda district is home to a Russian-leased military testing range.
“There is not only a battlefield but also airspace. It could be a technical malfunction that caused [the drone] to go beyond the designated zone. I urge the public not to worry. Until the investigation is completed, it’s too early to draw conclusions,” Zhazyqbayev stated on March 26 in the corridors of the Mazhilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament.
Meanwhile, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Akan Rakhmetullin said that Kazakhstan currently has no information regarding the origin of the crashed drones.
