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Podcast | Navigating Kyrgyzstan’s mining sector and the story of the Kumtor mine
Andre Martirosyan
15th April 2026
In this episode, our business intelligence and investigations experts for Russia and the FSU region review the volatile landscape of the Kyrgyz mining sector.
For decades, the Kumtor gold mine stood as the ultimate symbol of foreign investment in Central Asia. Today, following its dramatic nationalisation in 2022, it serves as a stark cautionary tale of "resource nationalism." We trace the meteoric rise of President Sadyr Japarov—from a prison cell to the presidency—and explore how his populist campaign turned a multi-billion dollar mine into a personal and political score to be settled.
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