Аннотация
The article focuses on causes of violent extremism in Kazakhstan by looking at the violent attacks on law-enforcement bodies in 2011 and 2016 in Aqtobe, Almaty, and Atyrau. Drawing on interviews with the convicted extremists, we argue that criminal youth subculture, grievances, the Salafi-jihadist ideology, and propaganda in the Internet have promoted extremist violence in Kazakhstan. We also make a brief comparative analysis of European jihadists and violent extremists in Kazakhstan, highlighting some important similarities and differences across the regions.