The founder and first director of Ordamedia.kz LLP, Maksat Ganiyev, has announced that ORDA is ceasing operations. The publication will fully stop working on 1 September 2026, including its website, social media pages and YouTube channel.
WHAT IS KNOWN
As Maksat Ganiyev reported on his Telegram channel, “My Orda.kz”, the decision was made after summing up six years of investment in the project.
According to Ganiyev, with transparent advertising contracts, ORDA could cover its costs, but it did not generate sufficient profit to return the funds invested. He also stated that he has no intention of using the media outlet for political games, spreading false information or blackmail.
The founder thanked editor-in-chief Anna Platonova and the editorial staff for their work and said that the team would be paid in full.
WHAT THE EDITORIAL TEAM SAID
In an official statement, the editorial team said that ORDA will cease operations on 1 September 2026. The closure will affect the main website and all social media accounts associated with the editorial team, including the YouTube channel.
The editorial team said it intends to fulfil all its obligations in full and urged Kazakh and foreign media outlets to rely on official statements.
CONTEXT
On 18 August, a court handed down a guilty verdict against former ORDA editor-in-chief Gulnar Bazhkenova. She was sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment, with the sentence deferred for 2 years. The court also imposed a five-year ban on public and professional activities.
Bazhkenova was charged under three articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan: embezzlement of entrusted property, illegal entrepreneurship and dissemination of knowingly false information.
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