The adoption of a new constitution in Kazakhstan that downgraded the status of the Russian language has animated debates in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan about de-emphasising Russian. The Kremlin is taking note.

The Russian Embassy in Bishkek issued a stern statement on March 19, effectively calling on the Kyrgyz government to rein in “provocative statements of certain public figures” about the place of Russian in Kyrgyz society. The statement also complains about “language patrols” in which language vigilantes purportedly try to intimidate people to switch from speaking Russian to Kyrgyz.

Public calls and efforts to discourage the use of Russian “discredit the Basic Law of Kyrgyzstan, undermine the foundations of the state and contribute to the incitement of ethnic hatred," the statement reads, as reported by Russia’s Interfax news agency. 

"Such actions contradict the course of the leadership of the Kyrgyz Republic … as well as the spirit of strategic partnership and deep alliance between our fraternal peoples and countries – Russia and Kyrgyzstan,” it adds.

Kyrgyz nationalists in recent years have pushed to increase the use of the Kyrgyz language. In 2025, for example, the Kyrgyz parliament adopted amendments that reduced Russian’s role in everyday affairs, including a regulation requiring that at least 60% of all content broadcast on radio and television be in Kyrgyz.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.