Kazakhstan Flag for Kazakhstan

Country Spotlight

Kazakhstan inherited nuclear-tipped missiles, a nuclear weapon test site, and biological and chemical weapon production facilities when the Soviet Union collapsed. Since independence, Kazakhstan has dismantled and destroyed Soviet weapons systems and facilities left on its territory and has become a pioneer of international nonproliferation and disarmament diplomacy.

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Region   Former Soviet Union

1,410 Nuclear warheads inherited after the fall of the Soviet Union

43% Of world’s supply of uranium from mines as of 2022

1995 Completed the repatriation of its nuclear warhead inventory to Russia

104 R-36M ICBMs inherited from the Soviet missile complex, returned to Russia

Nuclear

  • World’s largest producer of uranium, hosts the IAEA’s Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank, operational in 2019
  • Inherited Semipalatinsk nuclear weapon test site after the fall of the Soviet Union; fully dismantled in 2000; inaugural member of the Central Asian Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in 2006
  • Plans to build nuclear power plant

Biological

  • Site of major Soviet biological weapons facilities during the Cold War
  • Has collaborated with the U.S. through the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program to dismantle and secure former bioweapons facilities
  • Joined Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 2007, converted former biological weapons facilities to peaceful use

Missile

  • Transferred all ICBMs to Russia for dismantlement by 1996
  • Collaborated with U.S. through the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program to dismantle missile silos and other facilities 
  • Leases Baikonur Cosmodrome to Russia as space launch site

Chemical

  • Inherited Soviet chemical weapons precursor factory at Pavlodar
  • Joined the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2000
  • Not a member of the Australia Group, but adheres to its policies

Treaties and Regimes Memberships

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NPT

The NPT is a treaty aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons through the three pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

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Central Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ)

The Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) made formerly-Soviet Central Asia, a Nuclear-Weapons-Free-Zone under the Semipalatinsk Treaty.

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Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosion tests on Earth. It needs eight key countries to ratify before entry into force.

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Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) bans the use, possession, testing, and transfer of nuclear weapons under international law.

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Analysis

on Kazakhstan

IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank Launches in Kazakhstan

Opinion

IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank Launches in Kazakhstan

Former Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, an NTI Board member, highlights the importance of the establishment of the IAEA LEU Bank and the need for improving dialogue between the United States and the Russian Federation.

Igor S. Ivanov

Education Center

Extensive resources on nuclear policy, biological threats, radiological security, cyber threats and more.

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Sources

Syed Adnan and Athar Bukhari, “Cooperative threat reduction: Case study of Kazakhstan – Analysis,” Eurasia Review, 13 June 2011, http://eurasiareview.com.

“Uranium and Nuclear Power in Kazakhstan,” World Nuclear Association, 14 March 2024, http://world-nuclear.org.

“R-36 / SS-18 SATAN,” Federation of American Scientists, 29 July 2000, www.fas.org.

“IAEA LEU Bank Becomes Operational with Delivery of Low Enriched Uranium,” www.iaea.org, 17 October 2019.

Togzhan Kassenova, “Biological threat reduction in Central Asia,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 18 July 2008, www.thebulletin.org.

“Russia to Boost Air Defenses with Ex-Soviet States,” RIA Novosti, 19 November 2010, http://en.rian.ru.

Gulbarshyn Bozheyeva, “The Pavlodar Chemical Weapons Plant in Kazakhstan: History and Legacy,” The Nonproliferation Review, Summer 2000, p. 141.

“Kazakhstan shines spotlight on nuclear-powered future,” World Nuclear News, April 16, 2024, www.world-nuclear-news.org.

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