Kazakhstan: Living With and Giving Up the Bomb – a seminar with Dr Togzhan Kassenova

Wednesday 30 November 2022

Dr Togzhan Kassenova is an author who holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Leeds in addition to serving on the UN secretary general’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters from 2011 to 2015. Dr Kassenova’s expertise lies in nuclear politics, WMD non-proliferation, strategic trade controls, sanctions implementations, and financial crime prevention. The seminar presented by her gave an overview of her newly published work “Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb”, released in 2022 by Stanford University Press. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the University of Albany (SUNY). This report was written by Salem El Tabal, current MECACS intern and third-year undergraduate in Economics & International Relations at the University of St. Andrews.

In this seminar Dr Kassenova explained the reasons for Kazakhstan’s voluntary disarmament, as well as a background into Kazakhstan’s nuclear history. Dr Kassenova describes her work as one on territory, identity, and integrity; and speaks to its increased relevance with the recent conflict in Ukraine and its relationship with ex-soviet states.

Beginning of nuclear testing, why the area was picked, its significance to Kazakhs

Dr Kassenova started by introducing the background of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan. Stalin had realised in 1947 that there needed to be a drastic push for the development of nuclear weapons, birthing ‘The Polygon’. The Polygon was the primary testing site in the Soviet Union. The north-eastern regions of Kazakhstan were those that were chosen for testing, with 456 total tests conducted. In official documents the Soviets were known to describe the area in very clinical and technocratic ways – discussing the region only geologically and geographically, not considering human life or environmental conditions. The region was discussed as being uninhabited by Lavrentiy Beria, the secret police chief in charge of the atomic weapons programme in the Soviet Union, even though there were rural settlements around the region as well as the city of Old Semipalatinsk. Kassenova marked the city as a special place, with many educational facilities that produced prominent writers and poets.

Dr Kassenova proceeded with historical retellings of the region. The city of Old Semipalatinsk at the time of initial testing had 150,000 residents which over a period of a decade grew to 300,000 people. The city was 120km away from the epicentre, which Dr Kassenova describes as “nowhere near far enough.” In addition to this, cultural history was also being affected. The burial place of Ibrahim Qunanbaiuly, better known as Abai was only 30km away from The Polygon. Abai is described as the “father of Kazakh literature” and Dr Kassenova cited him as an important figure in Kazakh culture, incorporating written aspects to literature which deviated from the traditionally oral transmission. The region that the Soviets had deemed ‘empty’ was “in fact a very complex ecosystem”.

The effects of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan

Dr Kassenova spoke of the effects of nuclear testing. The first test was conducted in August of 1949, beginning a tragic 40-year history for the people of Kazakhstan. The impact was quickly discovered, with illness and death increasing in the surrounding regions, and growth deficiencies becoming much more common. Dr Kassenova discussed pictures captured by Yuri Kuidin that illustrate the effects of exposure to radiation and the impact it had on society.

Victim of soviet nuclear testing in Semipalatinsk region, circa late 1980’s Credit: Yuri Kuidin

When nuclear testing continued, suicides became frequent in the Semipalatinsk region. Dr Kassenova states that before this time there wasn’t even a word for suicide in the Kazakh language. Dr Kassenova then touched on the impermissibility of burying those who died by suicide and the subsequent adoption of the label “Polygon disease” to reconcile this and allow for the burying of the victims of suicide.

The burying of nuclear testing

Dr Kassenova highlighted the secrecy of the tests, to the extent that doctors were prohibited from giving proper diagnoses to patients. Studies that were carried out were solely for the advancement of military prowess and hadn’t been used for medical advancement or the negation of the impact on the indigenous population.

“There are almost no old people, people pass away before they can even retire”

In her book, Dr Kassenova stated that she frequently visits a family in the village of Karaul. Talking about the effect and consequences for the surrounding villages, Dr Kassenova mentioned the family’s losses, while also mentioning the numerous operations that members have had, the deformations of others, and the tragic death of another individual.

Ramping up to the Anti-Nuclear movement or “Nevada Semipalatinsk” Dr. Kassenova touched on the history of its formation. February 8th 1989 saw large amounts of contamination in an underground nuclear test. Dr Kassenova explained that during this time there was a culture of low discipline, leading a military commander to reveal information to the local regional governor. Soon after, thousands rallied to form an anti-nuclear movement, organised by the poet and intellectual Olzhas Suleimenov and named to show support and solidarity for the contemporary movement to close the Nevada Test Site in the U.S. – which would ultimately succeed in 1994.

Dr. Kassenova talked about the struggle of a grassroots movement against the Soviet Union, mentioning the international partners that would eventually come to Kazakhstan’s aid including the US and Japan. By the end of testing, Kazakhstan was telling Moscow “it’s not a question of if it should stop but when.”

Taking advantage of the failed coup d’état of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhs managed to shut down the testing site on August 29th 1991, – 42 years after the first nuclear test.

The situation today presents a solemn story. Over 30 years have passed since the last nuclear test, yet cancer and mortality rates in the region are far higher than the national average. Dr Kassenova pointed out that families surrounding the site all have stories of personal affliction during the time of testing.

After the Soviet collapse, all property left in the territories became Kazakh. Dr Kassenova explained how Kazakhstan found itself with a nuclear inheritance, with more than 1000 nuclear warheads, 104 ICBMs, as well as nuclear facilities and nuclear material. Kazakhstan’s critical decision to remove nuclear capability and facilities from its territory was imperative for its perceived security and legitimacy, with fears of an unstable Asia after the Soviet collapse. From this Dr Kassenova briefly explained the US-Kazakhstan Charter on Democratic Partnership as well as the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, highlighting the conditions for disarmament and building a framework for an economically strong and more integrated Kazakhstan. As such, Kazakhstan acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on the 13th of December 1993.

This seminar touched on many aspects of Kazakhstan’s road to denuclearization, giving a rounded analysis of the impact that Soviet testing had on the nation, the political aspects of denuclearization, as well as the human toll. Reflection was made on the legacy that testing has had on Kazakhstan and how Kazakhstan has shaped its image on the world stage in light of its nuclear past.


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