Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dismissed two deputy chairmen of the National Security Committee (KNB), according to a statement from the Akorda press service.
Ruslan Seisembayev has been relieved of his position as deputy chairman of the KNB and head of the Anti-Terror Service. Askar Amerkhanov has been removed from his role as deputy chairman of the KNB and director of the Foreign Intelligence Service. The reasons for these dismissals have not been disclosed.
Major General Ruslan Seisembayev had held the position of deputy chairman since April 2023. Askar Amerkhanov was appointed to the same role in January 2022, shortly after the resignation and arrest of former KNB chief Karim Massimov, who was later sentenced on charges of treason and abuse of power.
These dismissals continue a series of personnel changes in the KNB that began after the January 2022 unrest, for which the committee's leadership was held responsible. Earlier this summer, President Tokayev had also dismissed another deputy chairman, 62-year-old Marat Kolkobayev.
In a related development, Ali Altynbayev, described as a «Finance Ministry alumnus,» has been appointed as the first deputy chairman of the KNB. He has served as a deputy head of the committee since June 2022. The previous first deputy, Zhanat Elimanov, has been appointed as the chairman of the Financial Monitoring Agency.
These changes reflect ongoing restructuring efforts within Kazakhstan's national security apparatus, following significant political events and unrest in recent years.
