Ex-Soviet states deploy troops to Kazakhstan as riots rock major city

dpa Moscow Russia has deployed soldiers to Kazakhstan to help put an end to days of deadly anti-government protests gripping the former Soviet state in C...

dpa Moscow Russia has deployed soldiers to Kazakhstan to help put an end to days of deadly anti-government protests gripping the former Soviet state in Central Asia, where thousands of people have been arrested in the major city of Almaty.Russian paratroopers have been sent as part of a peacekeeping force, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance of former Soviet countries, said on Thursday.Besides Russia and Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also belong to the alliance. These states were also said to be sending forces to Kazakhstan, although details of the scale of the deployments were scarce.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on Facebook that the soldiers should be sent for a limited period “to stabilize and normalize the situation in the country.” Authoritarian-run Kazakhstan had asked the alliance for help to restore order after riots erupted during rare mass protests over high energy prices that have spiralled into a wider protest against the government.In recent days the focus of the protests in the oil and gas-rich country has been Almaty, the country’s former capital and its trade and economic epicentre.There were fears that despatching foreign troops into the chaotic situation would only add fuel to the flames. The CSTO said the primary mission was to protect key state and military institutions.Thirteen members of the Kazakh security forces have been killed in Almaty, according to state-run media. Two of them were said to have been decapitated.It was unclear how many civilians have died in the response by law enforcement, although the media quoted Kazakh police as saying officers had recently “eliminated dozens of attackers.” According to the Ministry of Health, more than 1,000 people have been injured, with 400 taken to hospital. Of these, 62 had to be treated in intensive care units.Around 2,000 people have been arrested so far in Almaty and more were constantly being taken into custody, authorities said, according to local media outlet Tengrinews.It was initially unclear how many people have been detained across Kazakhstan.People tried to storm various police buildings in Almaty in the early hours of Thursday, the Kazakh TV station Khabar 24 quoted a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry as saying.There were also reports of people looting supermarkets and shops and blowing up cash machines.A presidential residence and a city administrative building were set ablaze on Wednesday in the country’s biggest city, where the military has also taken a more active role in putting down the protests.A state of emergency is in force throughout the country until January 19.It was a mixed picture outside of Almaty. For instance, video from the capital Nur-Sultan showed people going about their business as usual on Thursday.Yet there were other reports of long queues forming in front of some cash machines. Some banks temporarily shut their doors and several airports in the country were closed.In a futile attempt to quell the unrest that began at the weekend, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had dismissed the entire government on Wednesday.Tokayev later denounced the protests as “an undermining of the integrity of the state.” It is difficult to independently verify reports in the tightly-controlled state. There have also been major disruptions to internet and mobile services.The largest wave of protests in years was triggered by resentment over significantly increased fuel prices at petrol stations in the former Soviet republic with more than 18 million inhabitants.The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed, without evidence, that the protests could have been triggered by unwelcome outsiders.“We consider the recent events in a friendly country an externally inspired attempt to violently undermine the security and integrity of the state through the use of trained and organized armed formations.” The US has already denied reports of any involvement.China, which borders Kazakhstan, called its neighbour’s turmoil a “domestic” problem.“We are?? confident that the authorities can deal with the situation properly, and we hope the situation will stabilize, and normal social order will be restored??,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.The Organization of Turkic States said on Thursday it is ready “to support the people and government of Kazakhstan as needed,” without further elaborating.The member states are confident that the Kazakh authorities will be able to “peacefully defuse tensions and re-establish calm and order,” the group said.Formerly known as the Turkic Council and created in 2009, the intergovernmental group’s members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.