Natalya Sadykova, the widow of Kazakh opposition journalist Aidos Sadykov, who was murdered in Kyiv in 2024, has reported being watched in the Ukrainian capital. According to Sadykova, the person surveilling her was an officer of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNSC) working at the Kazakh Embassy in Kyiv named Rustem Sarsembekov.

Source: BASE, an independent Kazakhstani media outlet, on Youtube

Quote: "On the morning of 13 November, near my home in Kyiv, I noticed a man who was secretly watching me and filming me on his phone. When I approached him, he admitted that he works at the Embassy of Kazakhstan.

The police have identified him. According to our information, he is Rustem Alibekovych Sarsembekov, a KNSC officer under diplomatic cover.

Given Aidos's murder and previous incidents of surveillance, I perceive this as a real threat to my safety and the safety of my children."

Details: Sadykova, who is also an opposition journalist, noticed the surveillance and confronted the man, who introduced himself as Rustem. He claimed he was "on his way to work" and said he did not know her.

According to Sadykova, Ukrainian police have established his identity. She says the man turned out to be an officer of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee.

In a video in which Sadykova appealed to the Ukrainian security services and international partners, she said that the KNSC's actions in Kyiv are not merely surveillance, but "the work of a foreign intelligence service on the territory of Ukraine".

She stressed that this poses a threat not only to her personally, but also to the country that has given her refuge.

Sadykova's lawyer believes that such actions may indicate preparations for an actual attempt on her life, so he intends to prepare relevant motions and gather evidence.

Background:

• On 18 June 2024, Kazakh opposition journalist Aidos Sadykov was shot by an unknown assailant in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district as he was sitting in a parked car.
• Sadykov's wife later reported that he died in intensive care overnight on 2 July. She also believes that Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was involved in the murder.
• It later emerged that the suspects fled across the border into Moldova on the day of the crime and had been put on an international wanted list.
• The suspects in the murder of Kazakh journalist Aidos Sadykov in Kyiv may have been working for Kazakhstan's National Security Committee and the country's Foreign Intelligence Service.

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