Anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan

The anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan emerged primarily in response to the country's historical experience with nuclear weapons testing and the environmental and health repercussions of these activities. After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited the Semipalatinsk Test Site, where the Soviet government conducted over 450 nuclear tests from 1949 to 1989. These tests had devastating effects on local populations and the environment.