Russian 'soft power' structures have found themselves in a scandal in Central Asia.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan joined Azerbaijan in strengthening their position regarding Russian 'soft power' structures. On April 22, the German international news site Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that an employee of the 'Russian House' in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh was detained on suspicion of illegal recruitment of locals into the Russian army to participate in the war against Ukraine. The Russian House in Osh is a subdivision of Rossotrudnichestvo, a state agency that finances various 'soft power' projects of the Kremlin. The Kyrgyz court decided to involve a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, known as Natalia Sekirina, and keep her in custody until mid-June. Cross-border trade operators as a company, along with three other individuals connected to this scheme.At the same time, another Russian 'soft power' structure in Central Asia, the media resource 'Sputnik Kazakhstan', is under official investigation by the Kazakh authorities due to a provocative report that praised a Kazakh fighting on the side of Russia in Ukraine. The Ministry of Information of Kazakhstan stated: 'We will issue a warning to the 'Sputnik' agency. I remind you that 'Sputnik' is a foreign media outlet. ...The ministry will take necessary legal actions'.The report from 'Sputnik Kazakhstan' that triggered the investigation was published in May 2024. It attracted official attention only after a well-known Kazakh human rights defender complained about it in a social media post on April 22, stating that 'Sputnik' violated several Kazakh laws by showcasing the activities of a Kazakh mercenary. 'This media resource openly propagandizes aggressive warfare,' wrote Lukpan Akhmedyarov in his post.Regarding what the site eurasia.net once wrote - the Azerbaijani authorities published data about 'Sputnik Kazakhstan' in Kazakhstan. In February, the Azerbaijani government ordered the effective closure of the 'Russian House' in Baku against the backdrop of a diplomatic conflict due to the accidental downing of an Azerbaijani passenger plane by Russian air defense systems.In an analysis published in March, the Lansing Institute described Rossotrudnichestvo as a structure that 'practically operates in close cooperation with the FSB and SVR, carrying out intelligence, propaganda, and political orders on behalf of the Kremlin'.