Oil majors plan to pursue international arbitration against Kazakhstan’s government over a multi-billion dollar environmental fine, a Shell spokesperson told Bloomberg on February 23.The $4.6 billion fine imposed on the North Caspian Operating Company, the consortium that produces oil and gas at the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea, was upheld in a local court in December 2025.Earlier in February, Shell CEO Wael Sawan announced that the company would freeze its investment plans until outstanding legal disputes are resolved.Kazakhstan’s government has filed several arbitration claims against the foreign operators of some of its largest oil fields. [Read more here.] The US government officially warned Ukraine against carrying out further military strikes on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s oil terminal in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, citing US-Kazakhstan energy partnership, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna said on February 24.The CPC accounts for about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. [Read more here.] Prosecutor General Berik Assylov told the press on February 27 that they are investigating the involvement of Kazakhstani politically-exposed persons (PEPs) with Jeffrey Epstein, including Karim Massiov and Kairat Kelimbetov, after their names appeared in some of the child sex offender’s files.Massimov, the former head of the National Security Committee, is serving a 18-year sentence for high treason.Kelimbetov, the former head of the Central Bank, has served as a member of Freedom Holding’s board of directors since 2023.On February 23, Kazakhstan’s ministry of energy notified the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury of the government’s priority right to purchase Lukoil’s stakes in joint projects within the country.Days later, OFAC postponed its February 28 deadline for the sale of Lukoil’s foreign assets to April 1.On January 28, the ministry confirmed that it had submitted a bid to acquire the sanctioned Russian company’s assets in Kazakhstan.On February 26, civic activist Alnur Ilyashev filed a lawsuit against President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev concerning his decision to hold a referendum.In the suit, Ilyashev makes the argument that a referendum cannot be called on issues that could entail a violation of existing constitutional human and civil rights.Police in Almaty detained Orazaly Yerzhanov, anti-corruption activist and a member of the board of Transparency International Kazakhstan, on February 26 after he called for a boycott of the referendum.On the same day, the police announced that it opened a criminal case against Yerzhanov without disclosing further details.Independent video journalist Vadim Boreiko’s Meta accounts were hacked on February 26.His Facebook page and Instagram account have remained live for at least the last 24 hours, but the journalist has not had access to them.In the past, Boreiko’s social media accounts were also targeted by bot attacks and he has previously been subjected to physical intimidation.The National Security Committee (KNB) said on February 25 that it had arrested Daulet Bakbergen, the former deputy head of the Problem Loans Fund.The Fund, controlled by the ministry of finance, was established to manage overdue loans and toxic assets held by private banks.Bakbergen, who was not named directly in the KNB press release, is suspected of abuse of office.German airline Lufthansa will resume flights to Kazakhstan at the end of March, after a five-month hiatus, the company said on February 24.The routes will link Astana and Almaty to Frankfurt four and five times a week, respectively.Earlier in February, South Korea’s Asiana said it would resume Seoul-Almaty air links at the end of March.On February 26, the management of the Astana International Airport said that between 15 April - 31 May, the airport will undergo restoration works and will remain closed between 10:00 - 18:00 daily.Kazakhstan’s ministry of transport said that infrastructure upgrades at the Caspian ports of Aktau and Kuryk are expected to be completed by the end of the year.Speaking at a government meeting on February 25, deputy minister Zhanibek Taizhanov also announced that the country’s commercial fleet is set to reach 32 barges by 2028, a significant increase from the 18 currently in operation.On February 25, a court in Almaty placed Father Iakov Vorontsov in pre-trial detention for two months.