Jay, I'm a local, and I don't have any nostalgy, believe me. You talking about realiy of the spot. We know it, and you don't simply because you are not living here. So the reality is, that no names were changed, and simple translating them in Kazakh is wrong.

Changing names should come from within, from those who live here and use these names. Not because you decide that everything have to be translated. 

JFYI I love my country, the language and the culture. I hate the war I guess even more than you do, as many of my Ukrainan friends are involved. 