Kazakhstan’s brewing crisis
Violence in the country’s energy patch and haziness about who will be replacing its ageing dictator are exacerbating the pain of the oil-price collapse
KAZAKHSTAN is in a state of flux. The central Asian state, which holds the world's 11th largest oil reserves, was the scene of another violent insurrection in June. The government first blamed the incident - which claimed almost two dozen lives in the country's oil belt - on Islamist foreigners out to destablise the country. Then it said it was an attempted coup by a local businessman. Either way, it's a sign of wider problems. A group of young men attacked two firearm shops on 5 June in Aktobe, located 100km from the Russian border, and tried to carry out an attack on a military base to seize arms. Thirteen attackers, five police officers and three soldiers were killed in gunfights. Authori
Also in this section
20 February 2026
The country is pushing to increase production and expand key projects despite challenges including OPEC+ discipline and the limitations of its export infrastructure
20 February 2026
Europe has transformed into a global LNG demand powerhouse over the last few years, with the fuel continuing to play a key role in safeguarding the continent’s energy security, Carsten Poppinga, chief commercial officer at Uniper, tells Petroleum Economist
20 February 2026
Sempra Infrastructure’s vice president for marketing and commercial development, Carlos de la Vega, outlines progress across the company’s US Gulf Coast and Mexico Pacific Coast LNG portfolio, including construction at Port Arthur LNG, continued strong performance at Cameron LNG and development of ECA LNG
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
