Driver of Ruslan Berdenov recounts striking assailant.
The court trial for the attempted assassination of Ruslan Berdenov, Deputy Akim of Shymkent, is currently underway in the city of Shymkent. The trial, which began in early August 2025, has seen dramatic testimonies and unexpected twists.
On the day of the incident, Meyrambek Kalymbetov, the driver of Deputy Akim, arrived at Berdenov's house around eight o'clock in the morning to take him to work. However, the incident occurred around nine in the evening. Throughout the day, Berdenov remained within the building where he worked, the Akimat.
Kalymbetov, a key witness in the trial, was at the scene of the attack. He heard sounds similar to gunshots and initially couldn't determine their source. Upon closer inspection, he found the man with a weapon to be the defendant, Ernar Zheimbai, a former subordinate of Berdenov. Kalymbetov acted to protect Berdenov, hitting Zheimbai when he saw him. After the impact, Kalymbetov called an ambulance and tried to provide first aid to the injured man.
Zheimbai, in his court statement, partially admitted his guilt. He claimed that he intended to scare Berdenov, not to kill him. He explained that after a quarrel with his wife and subsequent personal stress, he took a hunting rifle and during an encounter with Berdenov, fired a shot that injured him. Zheimbay expressed regret, saying he did not see blood and did not intend to kill, expecting to serve only a few years in jail for his actions.
Ruslan Berdenov's representative, Zhenis Tynybek, commented on the defendant's version of the crime, suggesting jealousy as the possible motive. Tynybek stated that the accusations based on such arguments are unsustainable and inappropriate from a moral standpoint.
Zheimbai also alleged attempts to frame the incident as a contract killing and claimed Berdenov pressured him to implicate another person, Akim Gabit Syzdykbayev, as the organizer of the attack.
The motive behind the assassination attempt appears to be personal and emotional rather than premeditated murder. The trial is ongoing, with Berdenov absent due to medical reasons, and the Deputy Akim’s legal team has requested that the case be sent back for further investigation, indicating ongoing procedural developments and possible complications.
[1] Local News Outlet A [2] Local News Outlet B [3] National News Outlet [4] Court Documents
- The attack on Ruslan Berdenov, Deputy Akim of Shymkent, recently covered in Court Documents, seems to be a personal and emotional incident rather than a premeditated crime, as suggested by the ongoing twists and turns in the trial.
- Amid the high-profile trial for the attempted assassination of Ruslan Berdenov, the court hearing also includes discussions about general-news topics, like crime-and-justice, as Ernar Zheimbai, the defendant, claims that his former superior pressured him to implicate another person, Akim Gabit Syzdykbayev, in the alleged plot.
