Aidos Sadykov
General Information
Oppositionist in exile, husband of another oppositionist in exile, Natalya Sadykova.
After the "psychiatric hospital" – to the opposition
The Kazakhstani opposition, especially those who have settled abroad, share several common features: a criminal past, promiscuity in political ties, and an overly serious attitude to how they conduct a "struggle". All these three components also apply to the portrait of the "Kievite" Aidos Sadykov.
His path to the opposition began in 1999, when, while intoxicated, he threw a fork at a waiter. Not everyone appreciated this sign of protest: Sadykov was placed in a psychiatric clinic for treatment.
At the very beginning of the "zeros" Sadykov joined Zhasaral Kuanyshalin. In 2003, the latter, refusing all state awards, resigned as head of the Aktobe Department of Culture, Information and Public Accord and returned to the ranks of the opposition.
With the journalistic pen of Aidos Sadykov, Kuanyshalin began to "trash" the then akim of the Aktobe region, Ermek Imantaev.
His path to the opposition began in 1999, when, while intoxicated, he threw a fork at a waiter. Not everyone appreciated this sign of protest: Sadykov was placed in a psychiatric clinic for treatment.
At the very beginning of the "zeros" Sadykov joined Zhasaral Kuanyshalin. In 2003, the latter, refusing all state awards, resigned as head of the Aktobe Department of Culture, Information and Public Accord and returned to the ranks of the opposition.
With the journalistic pen of Aidos Sadykov, Kuanyshalin began to "trash" the then akim of the Aktobe region, Ermek Imantaev.
Reference: Zhasaral Kuanyshalin is an oppositionist, leader of the "Zhasa, Azattyk!" In the mid-1990s, he was a Deputy of the Supreme Council of Kazakhstan. In 2006, he was accused of encroaching on the honor and dignity of the president and sentenced to two years in prison, released under an amnesty in the courtroom.
In 2010, Zhasaral Kuanyshalin announced his intention to run for president in the 2012 elections. At the same time, the leader of the unregistered "Alga!" Vladimir Kozlov, also announced his intention to run for president. After that, he was attacked by a group of Kazakh nationalists who said that Kozlov, as a Russian by nationality, supposedly had no right to join the presidential election.
In 2010, Zhasaral Kuanyshalin announced his intention to run for president in the 2012 elections. At the same time, the leader of the unregistered "Alga!" Vladimir Kozlov, also announced his intention to run for president. After that, he was attacked by a group of Kazakh nationalists who said that Kozlov, as a Russian by nationality, supposedly had no right to join the presidential election.
It was during this period that an article appeared in an opposition newspaper under the heading "An extraordinary trick" by Aidos Sadykov. In the article, he accused Gleb Shchegelsky, the former deputy akim of Aktobe, and Oleg Khimchuk, the former deputy akim of the Aktobe region, of having links with crime, in particular with the well-known Moscow Solntsevo gang.
In 2005, the political activity of Aidos Sadykov reached the party level. After the split of the "Ak Zhol" party, Sadykov became the head of the Aktobe branch of the newly created "Real Ak Zhol" party. But Sadykov did not find a common language with his fellow party members and sabotaged the unification of the "Real Ak Zhol" party with the National Social Democratic Party on the eve of the 2007 parliamentary elections.
After the failure in the parliamentary elections, the "Real Ak Zhol" party again became isolated, and soon it rebranded, changing its name to "Azat."
In 2009, Zharmakhan Tuyakbay and Bolat Abilov decided, for the second time, to unite their parties into a single entity. According to Aidos Sadykov, after the unification of the National Social Democratic Party and Azat parties, an unspoken decision was made to purge the party of "uncontrollable elements." According to Sadykov, he was the first of the regional leaders whom Tuyakbai and Abilov hurried to get rid of.
On April 29 of the same year, at the regional party conference, Aidos Sadykov was dismissed from the post of chairman of the Aktobe branch of the NSDP "Azat" party. After that, he voiced his protest statement with sharp criticism of the central leadership of the party.
In 2005, the political activity of Aidos Sadykov reached the party level. After the split of the "Ak Zhol" party, Sadykov became the head of the Aktobe branch of the newly created "Real Ak Zhol" party. But Sadykov did not find a common language with his fellow party members and sabotaged the unification of the "Real Ak Zhol" party with the National Social Democratic Party on the eve of the 2007 parliamentary elections.
After the failure in the parliamentary elections, the "Real Ak Zhol" party again became isolated, and soon it rebranded, changing its name to "Azat."
In 2009, Zharmakhan Tuyakbay and Bolat Abilov decided, for the second time, to unite their parties into a single entity. According to Aidos Sadykov, after the unification of the National Social Democratic Party and Azat parties, an unspoken decision was made to purge the party of "uncontrollable elements." According to Sadykov, he was the first of the regional leaders whom Tuyakbai and Abilov hurried to get rid of.
On April 29 of the same year, at the regional party conference, Aidos Sadykov was dismissed from the post of chairman of the Aktobe branch of the NSDP "Azat" party. After that, he voiced his protest statement with sharp criticism of the central leadership of the party.
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"The authorities need this party in order to create the appearance of democracy. The NSDP "Azat" party is a party controlled by the authorities. We are convinced of this in our own skin. President Nazarbayev needs just such an opposition, so that between elections it criticizes the government and does not touch it, so that the party does not organize unauthorized rallies and does not go out to them, so that it does not teach people to unite and defend their rights. Such a toothless and cowardly opposition," Aidos Sadykov said at the time.
The energy of the young oppositionist demanded an outlet: Sadykov created the Gasstat (Kastet) protest movement and began to actively participate in the creation of independent trade unions at the enterprises of the Chinese oil company СNPС-Aktobemunaigaz.
But the violent temper of Aidos Sadykov in 2010 brought him to the dock. On May 27, out of hooligan motives, he beat citizen Mussenov, inflicting slight bodily harm on him. The man said that he was walking past the house, took out his phone from his pocket and accidentally touched an outsider, unknown to him. A quarrel ensued between the men, Sadykov threw the victim to the ground, sat down and began to beat him. Aidos Sadykov showed disobedience to the approaching policemen, tried to cripple himself, hitting his elbows on the ground. The policemen were forced to put the oppositionist in handcuffs and take him to the police.
Aidos Sadykov himself, of course, did not admit his guilt. According to him, he became a victim of a provocation. In court, Sadykov explained how it was necessary to frame the "provocation" correctly – for example, to record everything on videotape.
The court sentenced Aidos Sadykov to two years in prison. In April 2012, Sadykov was released under an amnesty and began to give interviews about his fate as a prisoner, talking about the conditions of detention, relations with authorities and the impossibility of getting a meeting with his wife, journalist Natalya Yeschanova. What, in general, turned out to be false, in fact: on the day of liberation, it turned out that the wife of the "prisoner" was pregnant and even joked about "reproduction of oppositionists in captivity."
But the violent temper of Aidos Sadykov in 2010 brought him to the dock. On May 27, out of hooligan motives, he beat citizen Mussenov, inflicting slight bodily harm on him. The man said that he was walking past the house, took out his phone from his pocket and accidentally touched an outsider, unknown to him. A quarrel ensued between the men, Sadykov threw the victim to the ground, sat down and began to beat him. Aidos Sadykov showed disobedience to the approaching policemen, tried to cripple himself, hitting his elbows on the ground. The policemen were forced to put the oppositionist in handcuffs and take him to the police.
Aidos Sadykov himself, of course, did not admit his guilt. According to him, he became a victim of a provocation. In court, Sadykov explained how it was necessary to frame the "provocation" correctly – for example, to record everything on videotape.
The court sentenced Aidos Sadykov to two years in prison. In April 2012, Sadykov was released under an amnesty and began to give interviews about his fate as a prisoner, talking about the conditions of detention, relations with authorities and the impossibility of getting a meeting with his wife, journalist Natalya Yeschanova. What, in general, turned out to be false, in fact: on the day of liberation, it turned out that the wife of the "prisoner" was pregnant and even joked about "reproduction of oppositionists in captivity."
Bonnie and Clyde of Kazakh journalism
Sadykov's wife Natalya should be mentioned separately. Before becoming the "wife of the Decembrist", she was the wife of an employee of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Aktobe region named Ivanov. At the same time, on the day of the marriage of the journalist and the policeman, parliamentary elections were held in the country, so the newlyweds visited the polling station in addition to the registry office.
Natalya and Aidos Sadykov
And everything seemed to be fine in the young family until Natalya met Aidos. The policeman husband did not forgive the betrayal and kicked Natalya out, and Aidos did not particularly expect her, being in a completely different relationship. Natalya had to fight for her beloved man and, finally, get the name "Sadykova".
Natalya Sadykova worked as a journalist for Irina Petrushova's publication, which changed its name from time to time. But the essence of the newspaper remained unchanged: with full funding from Mukhtar Ablyazov, Petrushova published either compromising evidence or slanderous articles on its pages. For one of these, a lawsuit was filed against Sadykova by a former member of Parliament and businessman Maral Itegulov. The journalist faced up to three years in prison.
Natalya Sadykova worked as a journalist for Irina Petrushova's publication, which changed its name from time to time. But the essence of the newspaper remained unchanged: with full funding from Mukhtar Ablyazov, Petrushova published either compromising evidence or slanderous articles on its pages. For one of these, a lawsuit was filed against Sadykova by a former member of Parliament and businessman Maral Itegulov. The journalist faced up to three years in prison.
Natalya and Aidos Sadykov are wanted
In early March 2014, Natalya Sadykova found out that a warrant was being prepared for her arrest. On March 9, she, along with her children and her husband Aidos Sadykov, left Kazakhstan and settled in Kyiv. Already, from the capital of Ukraine, the Sadykov couple began to broadcast about political persecution, "befriended" Ablyazov and created the "Base" channel.
However, the Sadykovs' relationship with Mukhtar Ablyazov did not last long. There are two reasons for this. The first is the pathological greed of the former banker, who saved so much on journalists' fees that he almost never paid them. As a result, Natalya was left without payment.
Aidos, on the other hand, was passively attacked by Zhanara Akhmet, who had also migrated to Kyiv by that time. Sadykov very quickly understood the whole essence of the fraudulent nature of Akhmet and certainly did not consider her to be his like-minded person.
Akhmet, realizing her precarious position, began to play an openly dirty game against Sadykov, pushing him against the "opposition leader" who had dug himself up in in Paris. As a result, in 2018, the roads of Ablyazov and the Sadykov family finally diverged.
Aidos tried to keep a face, stating that he worked for an idea, and not for money, but in the end he slipped into banal accusations of a banker of lies and hypocrisy. However, he didn't exactly discover the Americas with those statements.
However, the Sadykovs' relationship with Mukhtar Ablyazov did not last long. There are two reasons for this. The first is the pathological greed of the former banker, who saved so much on journalists' fees that he almost never paid them. As a result, Natalya was left without payment.
Aidos, on the other hand, was passively attacked by Zhanara Akhmet, who had also migrated to Kyiv by that time. Sadykov very quickly understood the whole essence of the fraudulent nature of Akhmet and certainly did not consider her to be his like-minded person.
Akhmet, realizing her precarious position, began to play an openly dirty game against Sadykov, pushing him against the "opposition leader" who had dug himself up in in Paris. As a result, in 2018, the roads of Ablyazov and the Sadykov family finally diverged.
Aidos tried to keep a face, stating that he worked for an idea, and not for money, but in the end he slipped into banal accusations of a banker of lies and hypocrisy. However, he didn't exactly discover the Americas with those statements.
The most honest of the dishonest
Sadykov himself is not far from Ablyazov in terms of the scale of his populist statements. So, while already in Ukraine, Sadykov, on behalf of immigrants from Kazakhstan, on the Ukrainian channel, turned to the President of Ukraine with a request to fight against the Putin regime.
On the website of the Ukrainian TV channel TVi, a video was published with the title “The International Battalion is rushing to fight in the Donbass.” The announcer said that representatives of different nationalities: immigrants from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Crimean Tatars are ready to go to the front and defend the independence of Ukraine, they plan to create an “International Battalion” and ask President Poroshenko to allow them to take part in hostilities.
On the website of the Ukrainian TV channel TVi, a video was published with the title “The International Battalion is rushing to fight in the Donbass.” The announcer said that representatives of different nationalities: immigrants from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Crimean Tatars are ready to go to the front and defend the independence of Ukraine, they plan to create an “International Battalion” and ask President Poroshenko to allow them to take part in hostilities.
“Base” YouTube-channel
And once the dishonesty of the Sadykovs was amazed even by Zhanar Akhmet herself. In February 2019, against the backdrop of coverage of the Nur Otan party congress, she accused Aidos and Natalya of using videos of public actions of DVK members on their “Base” channel, while planting their own logo. Thus, the intellectual property of the party members passes to the Sadykovs. Akhmet was indignant, because DVK lost the opportunity to distribute the video as much as possible, limiting its showings only to the “Base” YouTube-channel.
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“We have spent a lot of effort and hours, we have created a large infrastructure, we are giving an analysis of the actions of the regime and exposure. We train and protect our supporters. These videos are the result of the efforts of many people. First of all, the activists of the DVK, our headquarters and cells. When you mark our videos, they become the property of “Base”. And no one else can use them. Our channel received a complaint from Natalya Sadykova for using "your" videos," Akhmet wrote on her Facebook page.
Aidos Sadykov was less emotional and verbose, calling Ablyazov's associates "morons" in a short post.
In the matter of promoting content, the Sadykovs really turned out to be more advanced. The “Base” channel actively uses targeted advertising to popularize its resources. That is how he gained a large number of views and comments. The Sadykovs monetized the “Base” channel to profit from user activity and post videos with catchy and provocative headlines.
At the same time, the authors of "Base" do not particularly work hard in creating content, and use cuts from videos that are sent by unknown people via Whatsapp, posted by anonymous people on Facebook or from Azattyk live broadcasts.
With his practical approach to business, Aidos Sadykov likes to talk about himself as an unmercenary revolutionary. In an interview in 2019, he stated:
In the matter of promoting content, the Sadykovs really turned out to be more advanced. The “Base” channel actively uses targeted advertising to popularize its resources. That is how he gained a large number of views and comments. The Sadykovs monetized the “Base” channel to profit from user activity and post videos with catchy and provocative headlines.
At the same time, the authors of "Base" do not particularly work hard in creating content, and use cuts from videos that are sent by unknown people via Whatsapp, posted by anonymous people on Facebook or from Azattyk live broadcasts.
With his practical approach to business, Aidos Sadykov likes to talk about himself as an unmercenary revolutionary. In an interview in 2019, he stated:
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“The issue of financing the opposition is of most concern to the townsfolk. It was drummed into our heads that without funding, without a roof, it is impossible to do anything. Therefore, this question is very often asked in the comments, then, based on some of their conclusions, they voice their version. Like, they work for this or that oligarch or for Ablyazov. They cannot understand that money, in fact, does not solve much.
Everything starts with an idea, principles, and money in oppositional activities is secondary, sometimes there is enough, and more often than not, there is not enough. Ask yourself how much money was given to Maks Bokayev or Aron Atabek. They are in prison and, if they wish, they can be released at any time, they will be given both money and freedom. Why don't they come out, why don't they want to repent and confess what they didn't do? It's about principles, they are in prison because they consider principles more valuable than money, freedom and even life. I, myself, was a political prisoner and I was also offered both money and freedom in exchange for giving up opposition activities. But I preferred prison to such freedom.”
Everything starts with an idea, principles, and money in oppositional activities is secondary, sometimes there is enough, and more often than not, there is not enough. Ask yourself how much money was given to Maks Bokayev or Aron Atabek. They are in prison and, if they wish, they can be released at any time, they will be given both money and freedom. Why don't they come out, why don't they want to repent and confess what they didn't do? It's about principles, they are in prison because they consider principles more valuable than money, freedom and even life. I, myself, was a political prisoner and I was also offered both money and freedom in exchange for giving up opposition activities. But I preferred prison to such freedom.”
Sadykov does not leave hopes for a revolution in Kazakhstan. It is after that, Sadykov says, that he will be able to return to Kazakhstan.
Only Aidos clearly chose not quite the right “partner” for the implementation of the idea: he morally and informationally supports all the latest rallies organized by Zhanbolat Mamai. But they all pass like a carbon copy: the cordon of protesters by the Special Rapid Response Squad, complaints about the cold and torture, warm tea in the evening in front of the computer. True, the last time the Mamaevites asked the police to return the mouthpiece – a necessary thing, but there was no budget for a new one.
Only Aidos clearly chose not quite the right “partner” for the implementation of the idea: he morally and informationally supports all the latest rallies organized by Zhanbolat Mamai. But they all pass like a carbon copy: the cordon of protesters by the Special Rapid Response Squad, complaints about the cold and torture, warm tea in the evening in front of the computer. True, the last time the Mamaevites asked the police to return the mouthpiece – a necessary thing, but there was no budget for a new one.
Playing the victim
On June 18, 2024 it was announced that an attempt on Aidos Sadykov’s life took place near his own house.
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"Aidos was shot in the center of the Ukrainian capital. Boldly, cynically, in a broad daylight and in front of witnesses. This happened when Aidos was driving back into our yard. I was sitting right next to him in the passenger seat. Now Aidos went through an operation, and lies under intensive care in a critical condition. I beg you to pray for him that he survives. My beloved husband is an honest and a fair man of principle, and he always defended the interests of Kazakhs. I am confident that this attempt was ordered by the President of Kazakhstan, Tokayev," wrote Natalya Sadykova on social media.
However, she did not explain how this would benefit the President of Kazakhstan: Sadykov is clearly not a person of interest to the head of state. A petty provocateur reveling in his media "omnipotence" in a safe distance from prosecution.
Meanwhile, the National Police of Ukraine named two suspects in the attempted murder case of Aidos Sadykov. According to law enforcement, they are 33-year-old Meiram Karatayev and 36-year-old Altay Zhakanbayev, both citizens of Kazakhstan. Ukrainian investigation authorities assume they arrived in Kyiv on June 2, lived in rented apartments, established surveillance on Sadykov, and made preparations for the assassination order they received from an "unidentified individual."
On June 18, according to the current version by the police, Karatayev and Zhakanbayev arrived at the house in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, where Sadykov lives with his family. Karatayev, waiting for the journalist to drive by, shot him with a silenced pistol, according to Ukrainian law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the National Police of Ukraine named two suspects in the attempted murder case of Aidos Sadykov. According to law enforcement, they are 33-year-old Meiram Karatayev and 36-year-old Altay Zhakanbayev, both citizens of Kazakhstan. Ukrainian investigation authorities assume they arrived in Kyiv on June 2, lived in rented apartments, established surveillance on Sadykov, and made preparations for the assassination order they received from an "unidentified individual."
On June 18, according to the current version by the police, Karatayev and Zhakanbayev arrived at the house in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, where Sadykov lives with his family. Karatayev, waiting for the journalist to drive by, shot him with a silenced pistol, according to Ukrainian law enforcement.
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"After the attempted premeditated murder of Sadykov, Karatayev and Zhakanbayev fled the crime scene and later, in order to conceal the weapon, under circumstances not yet established by the investigation, disposed of the firearm — a pistol equipped with a silencer — by throwing it out near the fence of the Kyiv Zoo," the document states.
On the day of the attempt on Sadykov, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that he had instructed diplomats and law enforcement to send inquiries to Kyiv in connection with the incident and expressed the readiness of Kazakh authorities to "join the investigation and assist in establishing the truth."
Natalya Sadykova
Kazakh media soon reported that a person named Meiram Karatayev had previously worked in the police department of the Kostanay region. The regional site "Our Newspaper" wrote in 2016 that an operative under surname Karatayev saved a local resident from suicide by jumping from the fourth floor and then drowning himself in a bathtub.
An article on the website of the physical culture and sports society "Dynamo," published in 2017 under the headline "Accuracy and Endurance," reports the results of a shooting competition among law enforcement officers. "In the individual ranking, the top list was led by Senior Lieutenant of Police Meiram Karatayev, who demonstrated a high level of skill and proficiency with firearms," the article says.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan stated on June 21 that Karatayev was dismissed from the internal affairs bodies in January 2019 and "is currently not a representative of the police."
On June 22, the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan reported that Altay Zhakanbayev contacted the internal affairs bodies of Kazakhstan at his own will on June 21 and was questioned about the circumstances of the attempt. On the same day, the man was detained on suspicion of committing this crime.
Naturally, the attempt on Sadykov caused a media scrutiny among opposition activists and liberal-democratic media. His figure somehow became more significant and imposing, although in fact, the aura of a victim did not make Sadykov a brilliant journalist: pouring slop in the media was never a great talent. Moreover, it is unlikely that anyone, except the Sadykovs themselves, knows for sure what this couple was doing in Kyiv and what dirty intra-Ukrainian games they got themselves involved in.
An article on the website of the physical culture and sports society "Dynamo," published in 2017 under the headline "Accuracy and Endurance," reports the results of a shooting competition among law enforcement officers. "In the individual ranking, the top list was led by Senior Lieutenant of Police Meiram Karatayev, who demonstrated a high level of skill and proficiency with firearms," the article says.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan stated on June 21 that Karatayev was dismissed from the internal affairs bodies in January 2019 and "is currently not a representative of the police."
On June 22, the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan reported that Altay Zhakanbayev contacted the internal affairs bodies of Kazakhstan at his own will on June 21 and was questioned about the circumstances of the attempt. On the same day, the man was detained on suspicion of committing this crime.
Naturally, the attempt on Sadykov caused a media scrutiny among opposition activists and liberal-democratic media. His figure somehow became more significant and imposing, although in fact, the aura of a victim did not make Sadykov a brilliant journalist: pouring slop in the media was never a great talent. Moreover, it is unlikely that anyone, except the Sadykovs themselves, knows for sure what this couple was doing in Kyiv and what dirty intra-Ukrainian games they got themselves involved in.