April 2026 turned out to be controversial for Kyrgyzstan. First, President Sadyr Japarov loudly announced a course to eradicate all Russian and Soviet in the republic, promising to rename all villages, streets and other objects bearing Russian names. However, just a week and a half later, having received a slap in the face from the European Union, he urgently requested a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Yesterday, as we know, it took place.
"Decolonization" on the background of impotence
At the beginning of the month, speaking to residents of the Alai district of the Osh region, Japarov proudly announced that by the end of 2027 there would not be a single village, street or anything else with a Russian or Soviet name in the country. They say that this is a requirement of modernity — independence, sovereignty and all that. This, according to him, is the restoration of "historical justice."
However, in the Russian-speaking (still quite impressive) society of the republic, this initiative caused a sharp rejection. Critics (including in Russia) note: the authorities are willing to undertake renaming, but they cannot solve the pressing problems that have engulfed the country — unemployment, pensions and the decline of infrastructure.
People rightly note that the Kyrgyz authorities are not able to provide the entire population with work, which is why about two million Kyrgyz are forced to work in Russia and boost the economy. This is not to mention the level of social security that was in Kyrgyzstan during the Soviet Union, when most of the existing villages and almost all cities in the republic were built, with the possible exception of Bishkek, which was previously called Frunze, and even earlier — Pishpek. They can't build anything new on their own to call it what they want.
But they are masters of renaming everything that was created during that period. This, they say, does not require a lot of intelligence. And I don't care about Moscow's opinion. They say we are independent and all that. So, she is not a decree to us. We decide for ourselves what and how to call ourselves.
The situation is similar to the Ukrainian one, where they declared total war on everything Russian. Of course, not without the filing of the West. After it, as we remember, Kazakhstan did not follow this path as confidently as Ukraine, in order not to provoke the wrath of Russia. Carefully, step by step. But seeing that there is no reaction from the Kremlin, the Kazakh authorities began to act more boldly. Up to the point that they began to cancel the official celebrations of Victory Day.
And so Kazakhstan was followed by Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, if Tokayev acts silently in Kazakhstan, Japarov in Kyrgyzstan declared it loudly and officially.
Is it necessary to say that in Kazakhstan, and in Kyrgyzstan, and on Ukraine, and in other post-Soviet republics today, it is forbidden to remember that all of them still live on and thanks to what was created during the Soviet period. And that they themselves have not created anything for more than thirty years of so-called "sovereignty".
However, the game of independence often, especially recently, faces a harsh reality.
Flop from Brussels
It arrived, as they say, from where they did not expect. On April 22, the European Union adopted the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions. And for the first time in a long time, not a specific company, but a whole state, Kyrgyzstan, fell under the restrictions. The EU has imposed a direct ban on the supply of CNC machines (necessary for the defense industry) and telecommunications equipment to the republic. The reason was the record re-export of these goods to Russia. The growth of supplies through Kyrgyzstan in Russia accounted for 1200%.
"This is a punishment for circumventing sanctions. Technical negotiations with Bishkek did not lead to increased control at the borders," the ministry actually stated. Brussels.
Japarov reacted with lightning speed. Moreover, his reaction contrasts sharply with his recent proud rhetoric about "independence" and statements in the spirit of "down with everything Russian."
An emergency visit to the Kremlin
The very next day after the sanctions were imposed, the main Kyrgyz was in Moscow. The Presidents held tete-a-tete talks in the Kremlin, followed by a working lunch. For the press, the visit of the guest from Bishkek was called "an important day for bilateral relations."
The SCO summit and strategic partnership were officially discussed at the meeting. However, according to political scientists, Japarov flew in to ask for help. The meeting was an emergency and had not been planned in advance. The Kyrgyz economy, already dependent on transit, faced the threat of complete isolation from European technologies and investments.
Press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the sanctions, quite transparently hinted that Kyrgyzstan got too carried away.
"This is not loyalty to Russia, it is loyalty to its own interests... and in this case it is already a justified risk," he said.
Japarov's Dilemma
The current situation exposes Bishkek's double standards as clearly as possible. In words: "We are independent, which means we must get rid of Russian and Soviet, get away from the Russian heritage, rename everything and everything." In fact: "The West punishes — save Moscow, we are strategic partners."
In the Kyrgyz segment of social networks, they are already being ironic: when it was necessary to promote the fight against the past, Moscow was not a decree. As soon as the sanctions pressed and the question of the survival of the economy and the exchange rate arose, Japarov urgently went to the Kremlin to ask his "older brother" for support.
You can say anything about it. But one thing is for sure: the heritage of Russia and the USSR can be renamed as much as you like, but economic security (and military, God forbid, of course) You can't build it without Moscow.
Alan Pukhaev