Russian troops have been dispatched to Kazakhstan in the framework of a peacekeeping mission of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to end unrest in the largest economy of Central Asia following a call for help of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, British-Canadian news agency Reuters reports.
Protests, clashes and looting broke out after a New Year spike in fuel prices. The unrest did not stop after Tokayev announced accepting the resignation of the country’s government and the introduction of a cap on fuel prices.
Read also: Kazakh fuel price protests lead to government resignation
Russian state news agency TASS cited the Kazakh Healthcare Ministry as announcing that more than 1,000 people had been injured during the protests, and more than 400 of them were hospitalised.
Here is a video of the situation by British news portal The Guardian:
Tokayev said gangs were seizing buildings, infrastructure and weapons and Kazakh police has spoken of having eliminated tens of protesters. «It is an undermining of the integrity of the state and most importantly it is an attack on our citizens who are asking me… to help them urgently,» the country’s President stated and promised a tough response. Kazakhstan is part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization together with Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Russia sends troops to Kazakhstan after Nur-Sultan’s call for help
