Who Made Attempt on Aidos Sadykov's Life?

On June 18, in Kyiv, an attempt on a Kazakh opposition journalist's life was made. The is journalist Aidos Sadykov, the author of the “Base” telegram channel. He is in hospital. Orda.kz has looked into the matter.

Aidos and Natalya Sadykov left Kazakhstan in 2014 for Ukraine, where they were granted refugee status. They have been operating the “Base” channel from Kyiv, which criticizes the authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

Ten years later, on June 2, 2024, Meiram Karatayev and Altay Zhakanbayev, also citizens of Kazakhstan, arrived in Kyiv. Based on information from the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, we have pieced together the chronological order of the subsequent events regarding their preparation and execution of the assassination attempt. We emphasize that Karatayev and Zhakanbayev have the status of suspects for the time being.

On June 2, 2024, Karatayev and Zhakanbayev rented apartments at different addresses after arriving in Kyiv. According to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, they came to monitor and then kill Aidos Sadykov. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are unaware as to who hired them and for how much.

Six days later, Karatayev purchased an Opel Vectra car in Kyiv. He and Zhakanbayev drove it around Kyiv for the next 12 days. During this time, they learned Sadykov’s schedule in detail. They also bought a Makarov pistol with a silencer and ammunition for it. 

On June 8, Karatayev and Zhakanbayev booked an apartment near the Sadykovs - only 20 minutes on foot. They settled in there on June 12. 

On June 18 at about 11:30 they appeared at the Sadykovs' residence house 38 on Yarmoly Street. 43 minutes later, Aidos and Natalya drove up in their Subaru Forester. A minute later, Meiram Karatayev appeared in front of the car.

The following is a quote from a document of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine:

He quickly approached the car from the passenger side and fired one aimed shot from the specified firearm at the head of A. Zh. Sadykov, inflicting an open penetrating wound to the latter’s brain.

The Prosecutor's Office believes Karatayev decided that he had completed all assigned tasks, so he and Zhakanbaev fled. Aidos Sadykov received a serious, but not fatal, wound and is now in the hospital and fighting for his life. 

Meiram Karatayev and Altay Zhakanbayev initially fled to a zoo. It is across the fence from the crime scene. There, they disposed of the gun. They later left Ukraine for Moldova. It's a few hours' drive from Kyiv to the border. Both have been put on the international wanted list. Kazakhstan's prosecutors have expressed readiness to help their Ukrainian colleagues in the investigation. 

Master of Sports

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine published the suspects' names. After this, Natalya Sadykova claimed on social networks that Meiram Karatayev was an employee of the Kostanay Department of Internal Affairs. 

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs soon issued a response:

As for citizen Karatayev, we inform you that back in January 2019, he was dismissed from the internal affairs bodies, and now he does not work in the police.

The department has not said anything else about him. 

Karatayev was quite notable during his service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at least in the Kostanay police. 

In 2016, republican media wrote about him. Senior Lieutenant Karatayev stopped a local resident from committing suicide at that time. The person initially wanted to jump out of the window and then drown himself in the bathtub. To save the man, Karatayev had to climb in through the balcony. 

Thank you very much Meiram! He saved my only son, 18 years ago I lost my daughter. A low bow to Meiram’s parents for raising such a brave and sympathetic son, Nur.kz quoted a letter from the mother of the rescued man.

Karatayev was also a successful athlete. Natalya Sadykova reported that he was a shooting champion. In 2017, a report on shooting competitions among Kostanay law enforcement was indeed published on Dynamo. 

In the individual competition, the list of the best was headed by senior police lieutenant Meiram Karatayev, who showed a high level of skill in handling weapons. the report says.

Karatayev also wrestled. In March 2017, the Department of Internal Affairs of the Kostanay region wrote that he was the winner of the regional Qazaqsha Kures tournament among law enforcement.

According to the wrestler, the most difficult fight at the competition was with SOBR DIA officer Sergei Romanov. This fight was akin to a 'hidden finale.' The audience predicted victory for both wrestlers in the tournament, but the draw brought them together in the semifinal stage. As a result, Meiram Karatayev won a strong-willed victory and became the champion, the post says.

He is also a master of sports in martial arts grappling. Such a title may indicate that Karatayev has won at least a prize title at the republican level. Karatayev’s coach, Alexander Varakin, spoke about this, an Orda.kz journalist personally spoke with him. Varakin is shocked by the news that Karatayev was involved. 

“I can’t believe it. Of course, I only knew him as an athlete, but I have extremely positive impressions of this guy. I can't say anything bad about him. He is responsible, he has never refused to help me, and no meanness has ever been observed in him, says Varakin.

Alexander Varakin has several photos of Meiram Karatayev on social networks, including from international tournaments. 

Alexander says Meiram Karatayev did not live in Kostanay in recent years; he supposedly moved to Astana.

The coach says he did not know what he was doing in the capital because he communicated with him very little after the move. 

Nothing is known about Altay Zhakanbayev. We could only find a page in Odnoklassniki with that name. There is nothing indicating that this is the suspect's profile. The user has been inactive since 2012, has no friends, but there are three subscribers. The profile's photo is below.

On June 22, 2024, Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office reported that Zhakanbayev came to the country's internal affairs bodies on his own. 

On June 21 this year, Zhakanbayev A.M. independently turned to the internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, where he was questioned on the circumstances of the case. On the same day, he was detained on suspicion of committing this crime. To establish the whereabouts of M. Karatayev, operational search activities are being carried out.the Prosecutor's office reported.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. The text has been updated to reflect the current situation as of 27/06/24. Please refer to the original article in Russian for accuracy. The original article was published on 21/06/24.