The Kazakh presidency has issued a decree ordering the immediate removal of Dauren Kosanov from his position as defense minister. Kosanov, who had led the ministry since 2025, was dismissed after 14 military personnel aged 19 to 23 died when they were swept into the Caspian Sea. The servicemen were attempting to disembark from a boat during a naval exercise as weather conditions deteriorated suddenly.

Five defense officials, including the Navy's chief of staff and first deputy commander-in-chief, have been detained on suspicion of negligence and violating navigation safety rules. The deaths occurred during the Khazar Qorgany-2026 exercise near Aktau when 17 troops fell overboard from the patrol boat Kaisar, of whom three were rescued. A similar maritime accident at the same coastline in 2015 resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.