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= Nuclear Power in the Republic of Kazakhstan = Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, had a rich and extensive nuclear infrastructure prior to the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Formally known as the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the former republic had a considerably large nuclear infrastructure due to its reliance on civilian nuclear programs as a means to develop its economy. The nuclear infrastructure and economy of Kazakhstan heavily depended on the cooperation between their country and Russia since its inception as an independent country.

The testing of nuclear arsenals in Kazakhstan has caused numerous health issues for the people living within the country. Health effects related to cancer have been examined through the inhabitants living and exposed to villages around Semiplalatinsk, a nuclear testing site. With the concerns related to the health of the people, as well as politics, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared its independence, resulting in its rapid denuclearization with the promise of returning all nuclear arsenals to Russia. As seen today, Kazakhstan is one of the strongest advocates for the abolishment of nuclear weapons globally.

Testing Sites
Kazakhstan became the site to test the first ever nuclear weapon set out by Soviet leaders. It was on August 21, 1947 that a city in the north-eastern part of the Kazakh Soviet Republic (KSSR) was established as a major and primary test site for Soviet atomic weapons. It settled west of the city of Semipalatinsk, a region that once conveyed a sacred cultural meaning to Kazakhs with its production of many Kazakh writers and musicians. The Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) also known as “the Polygon” held 18,300km2 of vast and relatively remote territory, and tested its first atomic bomb, codenamed “Pervaya molniya” or “First Lighting” about two years after establishment, on August 29, 1949. Semipalatinsk held 4 major testing sites, and 2 research reactors. For the 40 years it was kept as a test site, 456 nuclear explosions were conducted with 116 atmospheric nuclear tests (in air and on surface) taking place at the “Experiential Field” between 1949 and 1963. However, when the Limited Test Ban Treaty was put into place in 1963, tests were then conducted underground at the four sites. To follow the collapse of the Soviet Union, the last nuclear test carried out at the Semipalatinsk Test Site took place in November of 1989 with Kazakhstan also inheriting the site. Today, the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan is focused on the site’s peaceful conservation and is held under their authority.

Nevada Semipalatinsk
Against the background of former Soviet President Mikhail Gobrachev’s allowance for more political freedom, Kazakhs were provided an opportunity to demand the halt of nuclear tests. When news about the possible radioactive contaminants the testing site emitted became public, a movement led by Olzhas Suleimenov, that advocated for the closure of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, known as the “Nevada Semipalatinsk '' emerged. Between 1989 and 1992, Kazakh activists toured the US in hopes of spreading awareness about the detrimental and radioactive effects of nuclear testing. Inspired by the Western Shoshone Indigenous tribe’s motive for reclaiming lands in the US formally lost due to nuclear testing, Kazakhs and Western Shoshone worked in collaboration in political engagements and exchanged delegates. Following similar timelines, the antinuclear movement was successful in pressuring Soviet leaders to close Semipalatinsk as well as the US Congress in ending testing at the Nevada Test Site.

Peaceful Testing program
Among nuclear test explosions, the SNTS also held peaceful test explosions as part of a program that used nuclear tools to shift the landscape for economic and infrastructure purposes. This included the creation of artificial lakes, and underground modifications for mining.

Denuclearization
When the Soviet Union fell in 1991 ten days after Kazakhstan declared it’s independence, the newly sovereign Kazakhstan was suddenly in possession of the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world with 1400 nuclear warheads, 147 SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile silo launchers, seven heavy bombers, and hundreds of nuclear weapon test sites (FAS). Kazakhstan committed to denuclearization immediately, committing to returning all tactical and strategic weapons to Russia by 1994 via the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991 They also closed the former Soviet Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site on August 29th, 1991 (Karasayev et al). In 1992, Kazakhstan further committed to acceding to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as non-nuclear weapons states that would not develop, possess, or control nuclear weapon as soon as possible, which they were able to do on December 13th, 1993 (Cirincione et al.) They also accepted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and assisted in drafting the Central Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (CANWFZ) (Open Source Center).

Heading into the 20th century, Kazakhstan continued to play a role in opposing nuclear weapons. President Nursultan Nazarbayev founded the ATOM project (which stands for Abolish Testing. Our Mission) in 2012, and spoke in favour of a nuclear-weapons-free-world in 2015 at the UN General Assembly General Debate before tabling a resolution to initiate a Universal Declaration for the Achievement of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World that was adopted on December 8th (Abdrakhmanov). On August 29th 2016, which marked both the UN International Day against Nuclear Tests and the 25th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk site, Kazakhstan hosted an international conference – Building a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World (Abdrakhmanov).