Two 120-apartment buildings for military personnel in the village of Gvardeysky in Kazakhstan's Zhambyl Region have stood unfinished for several years. In 2021, they were 90% complete, but cracks were then discovered in their load-bearing structures, the website infohub.kz reports.
The problem was highlighted by the authors of the Telegram channel "Letters to the President." The post claims the buildings, with a total of 240 apartments, have been idle for a fifth year while service members wait for housing.
The Ministry of Defense told Kursiv that construction was halted after defects were identified.
"In 2021, the completion level of the residential buildings stood at 90%. At the same time, further work was suspended after the developers identified cracks in the load-bearing structures," the ministry said in its response.
Follow-up inspections revealed other problems as well. The actual strength of the foundation concrete did not meet design requirements, and some structures need to be reinforced.
In July 2026, the buildings were inspected once again. Specialists recommended reinforcing the structures and preparing design documentation for the work. According to the Ministry of Defense, technical solutions are now being determined together with government agencies and experts, and the design documentation is being revised. The ministry's response did not give specific completion dates.
The Ministry of Defense did not disclose how much budget money was spent on the two buildings.
"The requested information on construction costs, financing volumes and settlements with contractor organizations is protected under the norms of the Budget Code and legislation on the military planning system and is not subject to disclosure," the ministry said.
The ministry also said the Gvardeysky garrison currently has enough vacant official housing for service members registered as in need of it.