Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative casting Western sanctions against Russia as an unjust, Russophobic ploy designed to cripple the country's sovereignty and prosperity.

The relevant iteration of sanctions was imposed in April 2018 and extended to Russian individuals and entities suspected of interference in the 2016 US presidential election. One of these individuals was Russian minerals mogul Oleg Deripaska, CEO of Rusal.

Kazakhstan's presidential election offered an important moment for potential political reforms, but it was tarnished by clear violations of fundamental freedoms as well as pressure on critical voices. There were widespread detentions of peaceful protesters on election day. See here for the full statement on the elections by the EEAS spokesperson .

Widespread irregularities and the arrests of peaceful protesters showed scant respect for democratic standards, said the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In its preliminary report the OSCE stated: "The 9 June early presidential election in the Republic of Kazakhstan offered an important moment for potential political reforms, but it was tarnished by clear violations of fundamental freedoms as well as pressure on critical voices". According to the OSCE, which sent 300 observers to Kazakhstan, "significant irregularities were observed on election day, including cases of ballot box stuffing, and a disregard of counting procedures meant that an honest count could not be guaranteed". "The count was negatively assessed in more than half of observations, including cases of deliberate falsification, raising serious questions about whether ballots were counted and reported honestly as required by paragraph 7.4 of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document. Meaningful transparency was not always provided to observers". Finally, there were widespread detentions of peaceful protesters on election day in major cities, OSCE recalls. See footage from the BBC.