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Why Did the Casualty Figure Change from 19 to 17? Defense Ministry Clarifies Status of Two Sailors

Editorial staff
28 September 2026, 09:22
Why Did the Casualty Figure Change from 19 to 17? Defense Ministry Clarifies Status of Two Sailors Photo Author: The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan has issued an official statement regarding military sailors A.A. Akhmetov and A.A. Magauiya following circulating social media reports. According to the defense authority, both conscripts were stationed on shore during the naval exercise in the Caspian Sea and are currently fulfilling their duties at their military unit.
The ministry clarified that a segment of the Naval Forces personnel was assigned land-based operational tasks during the training exercise, which included Akhmetov and Magauiya.

"At present, the aforementioned servicemen are on-site at their designated military unit, carrying out their routine service duties in accordance with the daily schedule," the official statement reads.

Public scrutiny regarding the discrepancy in personnel numbers arose shortly after the tragic Caspian incident. Initial official statements released on September 24 reported that sudden adverse weather conditions led to 19 servicemen being swept out to sea, initially citing nine fatalities and three rescues.

However, the Government Commission later updated the report, adjusting the total number of servicemen involved in the sea incident to 17. Of those 17, twelve were confirmed deceased, three were rescued, and two remained missing at the time.

By September 25, search and rescue teams recovered the bodies of the remaining two missing servicemen, bringing the final casualty count to 14 deceased and three survivors out of the 17 individuals at sea.

While the Defense Ministry confirmed that Akhmetov and Magauiya were not among the group swept into the sea, the statement did not explicitly clarify whether the pair were initially included in the preliminary count of 19 or why the figure was subsequently adjusted to 17.

Defense officials urged the public to refrain from circulating unverified information and to rely solely on official communications from the Ministry of Defense.
#Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan #Caspian Sea tragedy #Kazakh Naval Forces #Military exercise #Official statement #Personnel discrepancy #Servicemen #Conscript sailors #Kazakhstan news

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