ONLINE: Putin sent Russian troops to Kazakhstan. Some soldiers have already begun to “perform their tasks” – Startitup

More than 1,000 people were injured in the protests in Kazakhstan, which escalated into riots, of which almost 400 had to be hospitalized. Kazakh security forces also reported 12 victims and 357 injured in their ranks on Thursday. TASR informed the local authorities about this.

Protests in Kazakhstan erupted on January 2 in the Mangystau region and gradually spread to several Kazakh cities. Initially, there were protests against high fuel prices, specifically liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

However, according to Reuters, the protests escalated into anti-government unrest, caused by deep-rooted dissatisfaction among the local population with the nearly 30-year rule of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Although he resigned in 2019, he still retained his political influence, with his family assumed to control most of the Kazakh economy, which is the largest economy in Central Asia. Nazarbayev, 81, has not made a public statement since the outbreak of the protests.

Due to the ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, they declared a state of emergency that applies throughout the country. During its duration, the curfew is valid from 23:00 in the evening until 07:00 in the morning and any public events are prohibited.

Tokaev also asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (ODKB) for help in connection with the protests in the country, which decided to send its peacekeeping force to Kazakhstan.

We are monitoring the situation online:

13:50: White House rejects “crazy Russian claims”

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday refusedthat the United States had something to do with the unrest in Kazakhstan.

“We support calls for peace, for demonstrators to speak calmly and for the authorities to exercise restraint.” Psaki said. The spokeswoman added that there were several “Crazy Russian claims”, which claims the riots are caused by the United States, which the White House rejects as “Absolutely untrue.”

Theories are “Part of the standard Russian disinformation handbook, which we have seen a lot in recent years,” she added.

Russia regularly accuses the United States of provoking protests or riots. The most famous is the case of massive protests in Russia after the parliamentary elections in 2011, of which training accused Vladimir Putin, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

11:09: Russian soldiers are heading to Kazakhstan, some are already fulfilling “their tasks”

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (ODKB) has already sent the first troops to Kazakhstan on Thursday at the request of the Kazakh government, which has asked an alliance led by Russia to help curb growing unrest, TASS and AFP reports.

“The peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization have been deployed to Kazakhstan for a limited period of time in order to stabilize and normalize the situation,” The ODKB said in a statement published by a spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharov.

According to the statement, Russian, Belarusian, Armenian, Tajik and Kyrgyz troops were sent to Kazakhstan. However, the statement does not specify the exact number of troops heading to Kazakhstan.

However, their tasks “Will protect important state and military facilities and provide assistance to the security forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan in stabilizing the situation”, is stated in the statement.

Russian troops are said to be transporting air force to Kazakhstan, some of which already “Began to fulfill their tasks”.

10:30 a.m.: Police killed dozens of people who attacked official buildings that night

Police in the Kazakh city of Almaty killed Thursday night “tens” protesters who attacked several official buildings, including the local police department. The spokesman for the Almaty police, Saltanat Azirbek, was quoted for the Kazakh media by the TASS and AFP agencies.

“At night, the extremists tried to break into the official buildings, the Alma-Ata police department, as well as the buildings of the district police departments. Dozens of attackers have been eliminated and are being identified. “ Azirbeková told Khabar-24 on Kazakh television.

Alma-Ate military headquarters announced on Thursday night that security forces in the city had launched a counterterrorism operation. Kazakh President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev said on Wednesday that he was at the forefront of the riots “Terrorists”.

Azirbek warned on Thursday that the counter-terrorism operation is still taking place in the part of Alma-Ata where the official buildings are located, and called on the inhabitants and visitors of the city to avoid danger and stay at home.

Source: TASR