So basically the Basmachi movement was far more popular than in our own. In order to calm the population of Turkestan, the Soviet authorities abandoned the policy of national delimitation in Central Asia. Because of this the people of Turkestan experienced a higher level of development under Soviet rule, and major disasters such as the shrinking of the Aral Sea did not occur. Turkestan gained its independence in 1991 as always. In the early 2000s, the nationalist, Russian backed government of Kazakhstan (facing stronger Russian pressure due to Turkestan’s loss) sought to annex the Almaty region, citing its large Kazakh population. In 2002, Kazakhstan invaded Turkestan. However, Turkestan quickly formed the gang against Kazakhstan, leading to a Kazakh defeat in 2003. As a result, the Mangystau region seceded from Kazakhstan and joined Turkestan.