Tokayev removes Kazakhstan's General Staff chief and navy head after Caspian deaths

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Oct. 3 removed three of the most senior figures in the country's military, among them the chief of the General Staff and the commander of the navy, nine days after 14 servicemen died during naval exercises in the Caspian Sea.

Under decrees signed by Tokayev, Kanysh Abubakirov lost his posts as first deputy defense minister and chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Almaz Dzhumakeyev was relieved as deputy defense minister, and Kanat Niyazbekov was removed as commander-in-chief of the Naval Forces, Azerbaijan's Trend news agency reported. The presidential press service announced the changes, according to news.az, which reported them as following the accident at sea.

A storm during Khazar Korgany-2026

The accident took place Sept. 24 in the Mangystau region during the Khazar Korgany-2026 exercises. According to Trend, 17 servicemen ended up in the water when a storm and strong winds struck, and 14 of them died.

Three days later, on Sept. 27, Tokayev dismissed Defense Minister Dauren Kosanov. "By order of the Head of State, Dauren Zhumatayevich Kosanov has been relieved of his post as Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan," the presidential press service said in a statement carried by Azerbaijan's APA news agency, which linked the move to the deaths. Maj. Gen. Aidos Myrzakhmetov, previously head of the Special Operations Forces, was appointed in his place, Trend reported.

The sequence of personnel moves so far:

• Sept. 24: 14 servicemen die after 17 are swept into the Caspian during Khazar Korgany-2026.
• Sept. 27: Defense Minister Dauren Kosanov is dismissed; Maj. Gen. Aidos Myrzakhmetov takes over the ministry.
• Oct. 3: Abubakirov, Dzhumakeyev and Niyazbekov are relieved of their posts.

Equipment, exercise design and a 10-day deadline

On Sept. 27, Tokayev also instructed officials to establish the circumstances of the tragedy and to examine both the concept of the exercise and whether the tasks given to the troops were appropriate, Trend reported. He also said the servicemen taking part had not been issued the equipment they needed, including marine life jackets.

Beyond the investigation, the president called for more efficient use of budget resources and told the Office of the Security Council and the Defense Ministry to submit a Military Reform Plan within 10 days, according to Trend.

What it means

In little more than a week, Tokayev has replaced the defense minister, the officer at the head of the General Staff, a deputy minister and the navy commander, effectively clearing the command layer that sat above the Caspian exercise. Assigning responsibility at that level, rather than stopping at the unit that ran the drill, signals that Astana is treating the deaths as a systemic failure. Tokayev's own remarks point the same way: by tying the accident to missing basic equipment and to the design of the exercise itself, he has framed the problem as one of readiness, planning and spending as well as individual judgment. The 10-day deadline for a reform plan means the next test is whether the new leadership under Myrzakhmetov turns the dismissals into concrete changes in training safety and procurement. The outcome will also bear on how Kazakhstan's forces prepare for large exercises at home, from national maneuvers in the Caspian to multinational events such as the CSTO's Rubezh-2026 drills at Koktal.