The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water, the shores of which are shared by five countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. The lake has untold riches in its depths: major oil and gas fields of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia are located here.
Despite its enormous economic and ecological importance, the Caspian has been shoaling for two decades in a row. The shoreline has receded by dozens of kilometers, environmentalists speak of a “critical level of pollution”, and the Caspian seal population has declined by almost 90%.
Activists and researchers have long pointed to general trends of shallowing and pollution of the reservoir. Vadim Ni, founder and head of the Save the Caspian Sea movement, says that according to the latest information from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, the coastline has moved 35 kilometers away in some places. The average sea level by the end of 2025 was minus 29 according to the Baltic Height System – a historic low since 1977.
“We are losing the largest inland body of water in the world. And we all somehow got distracted by the ecological crisis with the Aral Sea, where the situation is gradually improving on the Kazakhstani part, given the construction of the Kokaral Dam. Even the Small Aral has been preserved there. But the situation with the Caspian Sea is critical – we are losing it,” Vadim Ni is quoted by Azattyk Asia.
European scientists noted in their assessments that the drop in water level in the Caspian Sea will lead to significant changes in the coastline, exposure of vast coastal zones and drying up of some areas, including the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay.
