Take everything from private owners? More and more property is becoming state-owned » Gazeta.kg

It has been five years since the authorities of Kyrgyzstan began to regularly inform about the seizure of property. Initially, assets seized in high-profile criminal cases were returned to state ownership. However, it soon became clear that the process encompasses not only factories and plants but also any property that was illegally transferred to private individuals many years ago.

At first glance, it may seem that there is little private property left, but the fate of nationalized objects remains unclear. Sometimes the State National Security Committee (GKNB) or the Prosecutor General's Office shares information about further actions, but this is rather rare. Accurate data on the number and value of nationalized assets is lacking, as there is no open database from government bodies.

Kaktus.media analyzed official reports and calculated how many objects and for what amount have been returned to the state over the past five years.

Involvement of Ministries and the City Hall

In the fourth quarter of 2025, 99 objects were returned to state ownership. The most active actions of government agencies were recorded in October when almost half of the objects that had previously been transferred to private individuals with violations were identified. In December, however, such cases were significantly fewer.

Among the nationalized objects last year were also apartments (55) and various buildings (18). Often, apartments are returned after multi-story buildings are constructed on illegally privatized plots. The demolished structures are not removed; however, new owners transfer residential space to the state as compensation.

Most likely, these objects will be sold again or transferred to the State Mortgage Company for construction. An example of such an approach is the former Bishkek liquor factory, the plot of which was returned in December 2024 and valued at over 610 million soms. It previously belonged to the family of former Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh Chynybai Tursunbekov, and in the fall of 2025, the plot was transferred to the authorized capital of the State Mortgage Company.

Growth of State Assets

When the first reports of nationalization began to appear in 2021, few could have imagined the scale it would reach. Initially, it was about returning property within the framework of serious criminal cases.

The process slowed down a bit in 2022-2023, but over the last two years, it has once again intensified. Statistics show that in one year, twice as many objects were returned to state ownership as in the previous four years combined.

The most expensive nationalized objects over the past five years have been:

April gold deposit - 4 billion 350 million soms;
markets "Oberon-Dordoy" and "Oberon-Orto-Sai" - 3 billion 889.5 million soms;
Arawan cotton factory "Ak-Bula" - 3 billion 217 million soms;
Radio plant in Tokmok - 3 billion soms;
market "Juma-bazar" in Suzak district - 2 billion soms;
over 60 hectares of agricultural land in Batken region - 1.8 billion soms;
factory "Kum-Shagyl" - 1.7 billion soms;
hotel "Osh nuru" - 1 billion 566 million soms;
mercury deposit Uluu-Tuu - 1 billion 246.5 million soms;
recreation center "Simiram" - 1 billion 84.6 million soms.

Officially announced values cover about half of the nationalized objects, which implies that the real value of all assets returned to the state from 2021 to 2025 could reach 100 billion soms (over $1.1 billion).

As expected, the largest number of objects was returned in Chui region, both in quantity and total value. At the same time, Talas and Naryn regions remain the areas with the least amount of illegally transferred property to private hands — eight and ten times fewer objects respectively compared to Chui region.

Over the past five years, more than 30 plots with a total area of over 7,500 hectares worth nearly 15 billion soms have been returned to state ownership. Among the assets are also 55 apartments, 27 kindergartens, six schools, 17 factories, and ten markets. In major cities, buildings of bus stations, as well as boarding houses, recreation centers, and children's camps are regularly returned, some of which become departmental boarding houses for employees of state structures.

It is important to note that there is no complete open database on nationalized objects, and the fate of seized assets remains unknown. Some of them are transferred to the State Agency for Management of State Property and are periodically put up for auction, while others are returned to local authorities. How these bodies manage the received assets remains a mystery.

At the beginning of last year, a proposal for an amnesty for certain objects privatized from August 1991 to January 1, 2025, was submitted by a group of deputies. This document was only adopted in the first reading in September 2025. After that, the Jogorku Kenesh was dissolved, and the new composition has not yet considered this issue.