Russia has opened negotiations to revise military-technical agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as Ukrainian strikes increasingly threaten infrastructure inside Russia. Analysts believe Moscow may seek production, assembly, and repair capacity in Central Asia, although neither Kazakhstan nor Uzbekistan has agreed to such arrangements:
With Russian infrastructure being pummeled by Ukrainian drones, the Kremlin is hoping to sustain its war effort in Ukraine by deepening defense cooperation with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It is uncertain, however, whether Astana and Tashkent will go along with Moscow’s wishes:
Russia appears to be primarily interested in outsourcing the manufacture of arms, establishing assembly lines and maintenance facilities in the Central Asian nations, thus putting them beyond the reach of Ukrainian drones:
