Aidos Sadyqov, a Kazakh journalist and noted critic of the Kazakh government, passed away on July 2 in a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, after being shot outside his apartment in the Ukrainian capital two weeks prior.
Two suspects, both Kazakh nationals, were identified by Ukrainian authorities, who reportedly fled back to Kazakhstan after the shooting. Sadyqov’s wife, Natalya Sadyqova, who was with him during the incident, was unharmed.
On July 2, Sadyqova announced her husband’s death in a Facebook post:
Aidos Sadykov passed away today at 3:00 a.m. Kyiv time. My dear husband, the father of our three children, and a true patriot of the Kazakh people. Aidos sacrificed his life for Kazakhstan; he died a hero’s death at the hands of assassins. Despite fighting for his life for 13 days in the ICU, there was no miracle. This is a burden on [Kazakh President] Tokayev’s conscience.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office stated that they were working on changing the charge from attempted murder to premeditated murder and group conspiracy to commit murder following the journalist’s death.
The Sadyqovs sought asylum in Ukraine in 2014 due to escalating pressure on Natalya Sadyqova related to her work with the opposition newspaper Respublika. After being accused of libel and fleeing the country, they continued their work through a YouTube-based outlet called Base. In October 2023, they were placed on a wanted list by Kazakh authorities for “inciting hatred.”
The events leading to Sadyqov’s death began on June 18 when he was shot outside his Kyiv apartment.
The following day, Ukrainian law enforcement named two suspects, Altai Zhaqanbaev and Meiram Qarataev, both Kazakh nationals, who had entered Ukraine in early June. They allegedly monitored Sadyqov’s movements before one of them shot him on June 18 while the other observed. The suspects then left Ukraine through the Moldovan border.
Zhaqanbaev surrendered to Kazakh authorities on June 22. Sadyqova claimed that the second suspect, Qarataev, was a former police officer in Kazakhstan’s Kostanay Region. Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry stated that Qarataev had been dismissed in 2019 and was no longer a police officer.
Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor-General’s Office is still searching for Qarataev’s whereabouts and has not provided updates on the progress.
While Ukrainian authorities plan to request the extradition of the suspects, Kazakh authorities, including Senate chair Maulen Ashimbaev, have indicated that they prioritize the rights of their citizens and do not typically extradite them under the law.
In a previous article, I discussed how the Kazakhstan-Ukraine extradition treaty allows for refusal to extradite based on nationality, but requires prosecution in the suspect’s home country or enforcement of a foreign court’s judgment.
Kazakh authorities have expressed willingness to cooperate with Ukrainian authorities in the investigation but have not confirmed if they will proceed with charges against the suspects instead of extradition.
Despite limited information on the suspects, journalists at RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service, Radio Azattyq, have uncovered details that suggest a professional involvement in the assassination.
The meticulous planning of the crime points to a complex web of connections, even though direct evidence linking the suspects to official agencies like the KNB remains uncertain.