Kremlin support for arrested pro-Russia activist sparks outrage in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK -- Reports that Kyrgyz security personnel arrested more than 30 suspects earlier this month on suspicion of "plotting to violently seize power" have sent shock waves through the country.

The pro-Russian accused ringleader, Roza Nurmatova, is in custody too.

"For a year [the group] has been engaging in intentional efforts to attract supporters to its ranks and recruit the most disaffected citizens across the country," the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) said in a statement June 6.

The group of "conspirators" had swelled to more than 100 Kyrgyz from various segments of society and regions of the country, and each person had his or her own role and specific tasks in the plan, said the GKNB.

"The conspirators anticipated triggering the active phase of their criminal plans immediately after the emergence of public dissatisfaction about an [unspecified] incident," said the GKNB statement.

The investigation also found that the group of suspects was expecting to receive a large sum of money from abroad soon to "fund organisational matters and pay the main functionaries".

While the GKNB did not specify the country from which the money would arrive, it did finger Nurmatova, a pro-Russia activist and leader of the Eldik Kenesh -- or People's Council -- political party, whose name harks back to the Soviet governance system, as the ringleader.

She regularly organised and co-ordinated clandestine meetings where members were subjected to "ideological indoctrination against government agencies, and [they] discussed plans for a violent seizure of power", according to Kyrgyz security agencies.

All the detainees are in a GKNB jail, the statement added.

Anti-Western politician with Soviet sentiments

Nurmatova's extensive past experience in Kyrgyz politics was largely in support of her current foes. In 2005 she worked as the director of the government's department of social policy and cultural development.

In 2011-2012, as leader of her party, she managed the headquarters of supporters of Sadyr Japarov and Kamchybek Tashiyev, who during that period were members of parliament and are now president of the country and director of the GKNB, respectively.

At the time, she participated in rallies that Japarov and Tashiyev organised.

The GKNB has not disclosed details about the investigation, and has shared with journalists only audio recordings of phone conversations among the detainees in which they can be heard discussing their plans, including a process for assembling supporters.

Local media outlets have pointed out that this is not the first such incident in Kyrgyzstan. However, with previous incidents, law enforcement provided more complete information about the criminal cases, while this case has been shrouded in secrecy.

On the other hand, Russian media outlets, which are widely known to be instruments of Kremlin propaganda, have covered the high-profile arrests.

Furthermore, the Russian media are portraying Nurmatova as an upholder of justice and defender of the rights of ethnic minorities, the majority of whom are Russian.

In the past, Nurmatova criticised former Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, a deeply unpopular leader at home who was toppled in 2010, the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets reported.

He was resented, among other reasons, for purportedly shutting minorities -- including Russians -- out of power in Kyrgyzstan.

In 2012 Nurmatova took part in protests calling for the nationalisation of the Kumtor gold mine, which the Canadian company Centerra Gold was developing, added the Russian newspaper. The mine was ultimately nationalised in 2021, after Japarov became president.

On the whole, Nurmatova has opposed everything related to the West and gravitated toward the Soviet Union's past, traditional values and old foundations.

In late March, Nurmatova spoke at a roundtable in Bishkek on the allegedly negative influence of the United States on Kyrgyzstan, denouncing the emergence in her country of Western values related to tolerance.

Nurmatova herself is devoted to closer co-operation with Russia, Moskovsky Komsomolets reported.

"We have a shared history, the Soviet past -- those are traditional values," it quoted her as saying at the event. "In this era of globalisation, only if we come together, can we combat such crude meddling in our spiritual and moral values. Why shouldn't we formulate a common ideology across the entire space?"

The "process of flagrant imposition of Western values" must be stopped, she added.

'Very alarming' for Russia

The Kremlin was quick to comment on the arrest of Nurmatova and her group, setting off a heated discussion in Kyrgyzstan.

On June 5, Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, called the "coup attempt" in Kyrgyzstan "very disturbing" and said the Kremlin was "closely monitoring the news".

The Kremlin's response demonstrates that Nurmatova has Moscow's support, say many observers.

Although the GKNB has not provided any evidence that Russia is involved in the activities of the accused conspirators, all the details and circumstances indicate that there are at least ties between the group and Russia.

The Kremlin generally uses its own agents among local residents to bolster its influence and control over the post-Soviet countries, said Askat Dukenbayev, a political analyst in Bishkek.

"It's true that the Kremlin usually does this, at least initially, through public figures," he said.

He pointed out that the Kremlin reacted quickly to the arrests -- within hours -- even before the Kyrgyz media reported on the events.

"The Kremlin has hordes of local agents in Kyrgyzstan, not only within the government but also in the activist community," said Mars Abayev, a political commentator for the Orbita.kg news site.

"They control and influence political and cultural processes at Moscow's direction, and that's a genuine threat to our sovereignty," he said.

"I wouldn't rule out the possibility that in an effort to consolidate his control over Kyrgyzstan, Putin could try to install his own person at the helm, including through a coup," he added.

That said, Japarov has been highly pro-Kremlin throughout his presidency.