NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan has admonished a pro-Kremlin television presenter after he unleashed a tirade against the ex-Soviet country over its perceived distancing from Moscow since Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Central Asia’s richest country, Kazakhstan shares a land border with Russia, has a significant ethnic Russian minority and was forced to call in troops from a Russia-led bloc to quell unprecedented unrest in January.
But the country of 19 million has stayed neutral on Ukraine and is toning down commemorations of a holiday marking Soviet victory over Nazi Germany that holds strong symbolic importance for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
A statement distributed by Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry late Wednesday said comments made by Tigran Keosayan, Russian presenter, film director and husband of Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, “poison the atmosphere of good neighborly relations” between the two countries.
“I believe he will be included in the list of persons undesirable for entry into Kazakhstan,” the statement quoted foreign ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov as saying.
Keosayan made the comments in a video on his YouTube channel, where he questioned responses to the invasion of Ukraine among former Soviet countries, including ally Kazakhstan.
“Kazakhs, brothers. What is with the non-gratitude?” asked Keosayan regarding news that Kazakhstan had ruled out holding an annual military parade on the May 9 holiday.
“Look at Ukraine carefully, think seriously,” he said.
“If you think you can continue to be such sly asses and there won’t be any consequences, you are mistaken,” Keosayan said before adding: “the train is leaving. You can still get aboard. In the last carriage.”
Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said the comments “play into the hands of the opponents of the strategic partnership” between Kazakhstan and Russia.
AFP was unable to reach the foreign ministry Thursday to confirm if Keosayan had already been blacklisted.
Keosayan’s intervention echoes comments by wife Margarita Simonyan, who questioned why Russia had “saved” Kazakhstan by agreeing to send what the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) described as “peacekeepers” during deadly nationwide political unrest in January.
Simonyan’s February 22 Facebook post was in response to Kazakh foreign minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi’s assertion that Kazakhstan was not considering following Moscow’s lead in recognizing the independence of two separatist-led entities in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow’s bloody invasion of Ukraine began two days later.
Kazakhstan says to ban Russian presenter over Ukraine tirade
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Kazakhstan says to ban Russian presenter over Ukraine tirade
- A statement distributed by Kazakhstan's foreign ministry late Wednesday said comments made by Tigran Keosayan, Russian presenter, "poison the atmosphere of good neighbourly relations"
- Keosayan made the comments in a video on his YouTube channel
Paris exhibition marks 200 years of Le Figaro and the enduring power of the press
- The exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive
PARIS: One of France’s most influential newspapers marked a major milestone this month with a landmark exhibition beneath the soaring glass nave of the Grand Palais, tracing two centuries of journalism, literature and political debate.
Titled 1826–2026: 200 years of freedom, the exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive. Held over three days in mid-January, the free exhibition drew large crowds eager to explore how the title has both chronicled and shaped modern French history.
More than 300 original items were displayed, including historic front pages, photographs, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts. Together, they charted Le Figaro’s evolution from a 19th-century satirical publication into a leading national daily, reflecting eras of revolution, war, cultural change and technological disruption.
The exhibition unfolded across a series of thematic spaces, guiding visitors through defining moments in the paper’s past — from its literary golden age to its role in political debate and its transition into the digital era. Particular attention was paid to the newspaper’s long association with prominent writers and intellectuals, underscoring the close relationship between journalism and cultural life in France.
Beyond the displays, the program extended into live journalism. Public editorial meetings, panel discussions and film screenings invited audiences to engage directly with editors, writers and media figures, turning the exhibition into a forum for debate about the future of the press and freedom of expression.
Hosted at the Grand Palais, the setting itself reinforced the exhibition’s ambition: to place journalism firmly within the country’s cultural heritage. While the exhibition has now concluded, the bicentennial celebrations continue through special publications and broadcasts, reaffirming Le Figaro’s place in France’s public life — and the enduring relevance of a free and questioning press in an age of rapid change.
