Scientist Satpayev Condemns Calls for War and Ethnic Division as Criminal

Political analyst Dosym Satpayev has issued a sharp condemnation of statements made by publicist Dmitry Verkhoturov regarding the Asharshylyk (Kazakh famine). Satpayev characterized Verkhoturov's remarks as a criminal incitement to war, genocide, and ethnic hatred.

The controversy stems from an interview in which Verkhoturov denied the historical tragedy of the Asharshylyk. He reportedly suggested that continued discussion of this period poses a threat to Kazakhstan's statehood and could potentially lead to an armed conflict, which he described as potentially more severe than the war in Ukraine. In his commentary, Verkhoturov was accused of referring to Kazakhs in derogatory, hierarchical terms.

In a detailed response on social media, Satpayev outlined what he called a "full criminal set" of offenses in Verkhoturod's rhetoric. "It is an appeal to war, to genocide, to dividing people into grades and types, to chauvinism and xenophobia," Satpayev wrote.

He also noted the symbolic timing of the interview's publication on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Satpayev, such provocative information campaigns ultimately reveal who the true aggressor is. He argued that they demonstrate who carries imperial hatred and malice versus who is striving to defend their independence and territorial integrity.

Satpayev framed such rhetoric as part of a dangerous pattern. He warned that threats often begin with the denial and rewriting of a nation's history before escalating into attempts to seize its future by force. His statement serves as a call for vigilance against narratives that seek to undermine national sovereignty through historical revisionism and threats of violence.

The incident has prompted other observers within Kazakhstan to await an official reaction from Moscow regarding Verkhoturov's inflammatory statements.