Four years after the January 2022 unrest, weapons stolen at that time are still being recovered in Kazakhstan. In September alone, police seized nine firearms, and since the start of 2026, more than 1,700 weapons have been taken out of illegal circulation, the website infohub.kz reports.
In August, police officers found three weapons in Almaty and Ust-Kamenogorsk that had been stolen from gun shops in Almaty in January 2022. They were seized from two residents of the Almaty region.
In early September, a local resident was detained in Taraz. He was keeping a Makarov pistol at home that had been stolen during the January events in the Zhambyl region. The suspects have been arrested, and the investigation is ongoing.
In total, since the start of 2026, police have removed more than 1,700 weapons from illegal circulation, including 34 assault rifles, 458 pistols, more than a thousand shotguns and three grenade launchers. Law enforcement officers also seized nearly 12,000 rounds of ammunition. These figures include 152 weapons stolen in January 2022.
Separately, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is running a voluntary weapons surrender campaign. Since April 20, residents of the country have handed in more than 900 weapons and about six thousand rounds of ammunition.
"Persons who voluntarily surrender illegally stored weapons are exempted from criminal and administrative liability in accordance with the procedure established by law," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
The ministry recalled that locations where weapons are stored illegally can be reported to police by calling 102 or through the eOtinish service. The Ministry of Internal Affairs guarantees anonymity.
Earlier, Kursiv reported how a cache of ammunition that went missing during Qantar was found in an unexpected place: the hiding place was located in an irrigation ditch along one of the highways.