Moscow wants an apology from Astana for the yurt of discord in Buča

Russian troops are accused of war crimes in the Ukrainian town. The Kazakhs tell the Kremlin that it is a private initiative. Russian nationalists have sights on northern Kazakhstan, where a Russian-speaking community is concentrated. The yurt used to mock Putin.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - In an initiative supported by the embassy of Kazakhstan in Ukraine, on the central square of the Ukrainian town of Buča, the authorities have set up the "Yurt of Unconquerability", a typical Asian nomadic tent where they offer "plov" risotto, tea and sweets for refreshment and warmth. They also charge mobile phones and sing folk songs, especially in these days of sub-zero temperatures.

The initiative, an innocent folklore-humanitarian installation, is provoking increasingly resentful reactions from Moscow, with threatening notes sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which the Kazakhstan authorities are trying to evade by speaking of a 'local initiative' not directly organised by Astana.

The town on the outskirts of Kiev, theatre of tragic clashes and public massacres, represents a very sensitive raw nerve for the Russians, due to the images spread all over the world of the peaceful inhabitants savagely killed and scattered in the streets: according to Moscow, a farce of Ukrainian Russophobic propaganda.

This is why the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova demanded an 'official comment' from Kazakhstan and that it distance itself from the Yurt, which is considered an affront to Moscow.

The response from Kazakh representative Ajbek Smadjarov is a typical example of 'oriental cunning', calling the yurt an "initiative by private Kazakh companies, which we could not prohibit... they did everything themselves, and we saw nothing wrong with it, the yurt is a traditional nomadic dwelling, it can be put up and taken down quickly and is ecologically excellent'. The Kazakhs believe that "there was no need for any comment on this, and in any case we are proud of every yurt around the world".

Kazakhstan, on the other hand, has been trying to maintain a neutral stance since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, even with openly critical expressions such as those of President Tokaev, expressed directly and publicly to 'big brother' Putin.

Astana cannot take sides too openly in favour of Kiev, due to its strong dependence on Moscow in so many sectors, and to maintain its own 'multi-vector' political line, as repeatedly stated by the entire Kazakh political leadership.

On the other hand, the territorial integrity of countries is crucial for Kazakhstan, where tensions with Russia over border regions remain very high, similar to the situation in Ukraine. Indeed, Tokaev's criticism concerned the non-recognition of the occupied and annexed republics, starting with Crimea, rather than military operations as such.

This is why the 'indestructible' Yurt ended up taking on a far more symbolic meaning than the festive 'nomadic welcome', a sign of the presence of 'free men' in the territory, as the meaning of 'Kazakhs' and the local analogue of 'Cossacks' goes.

The Yurt at first seemed to recall nothing more than one of the many street demonstrations in the New Year festivities, despite the dramatic conditions of the ongoing war. Instead, the Russian protests produced the effect of the political significance of the Kazakh tents, a 'moral triumph' of the anti-Russian Eurasian alliance.

Ukrainian and Kazakh songs from the Yurt are now systematically interspersed with anti-Putin refrains, with ironic rather than polemical tones, such as the simple "Putin - la-la-la!" to indicate the Kremlin dictator's empty words, which hurt the aggressor more than US Himars missiles.

The cry of defiance and derision is not just a spontaneous reaction of the people, but a historical quotation. In 1934, the leaders of Nazi Germany went on a rampage when Jewish emigrants in America organised marches to mock Hitler, demanding an official apology from Washington. Just as the Russian leaders now want from Astana in front of the Yurt of the New Year 2023, called not only 'unshakeable', but also the 'cornerstone' of a new world.