During the Soviet era, 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, including the first Soviet atom bomb explosion in 1949 and the first Soviet hydrogen bomb detonation in 1953.[1]  Ten nuclear weapons delivered by planes and missiles were detonated over the Kazakhstani portion of Kapustin Yar and a nuclear explosion was detonated near the town of Aralsk.[2]  In addition, peaceful nuclear explosions were conducted in Kazakhstan, including 17 at Azgyr, six at Lira, three at Say-Utes, and seven seismic tests at other locations.[2]  

In its October 1990 declaration of sovereignty, Kazakhstan included a prohibition on further nuclear testing on its territory.[3]  In 1992, Kazakhstan declared state ownership over all former Soviet military facilities.[4]  Since its creation in May 1992, the Kazakhstani National Nuclear Center has used facilities at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site for civilian purposes.  Russia leases Kazakhstani areas of Kapustin Yar as well as three missile ranges (Emba, Sary-Shagan, and the 929th State Test Flight Center) and Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan.  
Sources:
[1] Robert S. Norris and William M. Arkin, "Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide, 1945-1995," The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, May-June 1996, pp. 61-63.
[2] Smantai Tleubergenov, Poligony kazakhstana ( Almaty:  Gylym, 1997),  pp. 55-56, 435.
[3] William Potter, "Politics of Nuclear Renunciation:  The Cases of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine," Henry L. Stimson Center Website http://stimson.org/pubs/zeronuke/potter.pdf, April 1995, p. 5.
[4] Merhat Shapirzhan, "Kazakh Russian Military Cooperation," NISNP E-mail correspondence, 1 November 1996.{Updated 12/2/96, 1/29/97 GB}{Updated 8/28/2000, 11/6/2000 KB}

Page last updated 7 November 2002
For more recent developments, see the Semipalatinsk Test Site Developments and Other Test Site Developments files. 
 
Comments or questions? Contact Kenley Butler at MIIS CNS: Kenley.Butler@miis.edu