Former KNB Officer Comments on Claims of Explosives Being Smuggled from Kazakhstan for Operation “Web”
Photo: elements.envato, illustrative purposes
On June 1, Ukraine conducted Operation Web on Russian territory, targeting strategic aviation airfields, Orda.kz reports.
That same day, anonymous Telegram channels circulated a theory that components for drones found in a warehouse in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region had been brought in from Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov stated that “there is no confirmed data on this.”
Judging by the posts from pro-Russian sources, the idea seemed to originate from Chelyabinsk’s proximity to Kazakhstan — the straight-line distance to the border is about 120 kilometers. The road distance is slightly longer but still relatively close.
Orda.kz spoke with Nartay Dutbayev, former head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB), which oversees the border service.
“Unfortunately, due to the vast length of the Kazakhstan–Russia border, there may be crossings that are not monitored by the border service on either side,” he acknowledged.
At the same time, Dutbayev dismissed the idea that explosives or drone components could have been smuggled from Kazakhstan into Russia.
“It’s unclear exactly what kind of explosives were used in the drones. But I am absolutely certain that it’s easier to buy explosives in Chelyabinsk than to bring them there from us. That would simply be more realistic.”
He added that while the Kazakhstan–Russia border is relatively open, a minimal set of documents is still required to cross, emphasizing that border services on both sides carefully monitor the legality of all such movements.
Original Author: Igor Ulitin
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