Yurts for Ukraine from Kazakhstan
More Yurts For Ukraine As Kazakh Donations Pour In
Traditional shelters and other supplies are being collected for shipment from Kazakhstan to Ukraine as Astana distances itself from Moscow amid its ongoing invasion.


This distinctive aid shipment is the latest from a crowdfunded campaign by Nation’s Future, a Kazakh activist group that began raising funds for Ukraine immediately after the Kremlin launched its invasion in February 2022.


A Kazakh yurt was first set up in Bucha, near Kyiv, in early January. The shelter offered food and a warm space for locals to mingle. The Kazakh volunteers behind the initiative promised to erect more of the shelters in other Ukrainian cities.

The yurt initiative sparked a minor diplomatic flare-up in early January when Russia’s Foreign Ministry requested “official comment” from the Kazakh authorities over the highly symbolic aid project.
![A Kazakh volunteer loads boxes of products onto a truck destined for Ukraine on February 1. A spokesman from Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service they saw no need to explain the aid project to Moscow, and claimed it was out of their hands. "This is an initiative of private companies," the spokesman said, adding, "we do not see any problems with the installation of this [Bucha] yurt." ](https://gdb.rferl.org/006c0000-0aff-0242-a9a4-08db05d35594_w1023_s.jpg)
A spokesman from Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service they saw no need to explain the aid project to Moscow, and claimed it was out of their hands. “This is an initiative of private companies,” the spokesman said, adding, “we do not see any problems with the installation of this [Bucha] yurt.”

A survey carried out in November showed 22 percent of Kazakhs supported Ukraine in the war with Russia, while 13 percent favored Russia, with the majority identifying as neutral.

Nation’s Future has raised around $1.5 million for its initiative to help Ukrainians in the face of the Russian invasion. Kozhalieva told Reuters she believes the massive public response to the fundraiser was because many Kazakhs see Ukraine as historically close.

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kazakhstan-aid-yurts/32254085.html