Unrest in Kazakhstan: Blinking Questions Deployment of Russian troops

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Kazakhstan’s decision to request Russian military assistance to deal with a continuing wave of violent upheaval has been questioned by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Hundreds of people have died in rallies over rising petrol costs, but Mr Blinken said the US thinks the Kazakh government can handle the situation on its own.

He informed reporters that he didn’t know why the deployment was taking place.

The first of 2,500 Russian-led troops to come in Kazakhstan has arrived.

The deployment of Russian soldiers under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Eurasian military alliance made up of five former Soviet republics plus Russia, is only temporary, according to Moscow officials.

After demonstrators seized the mayor’s office in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and overran the city’s airport, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev requested aid.

However, Mr Blinken told reporters at a State Department briefing that “one lesson of recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave”

Mr Blinken said, “It would seem to me that the Kazakh authorities and government certainly have the capacity to deal appropriately with protests to do so in a way that respects the rights of protesters while maintaining law and order,”

“So, it’s unclear why they think they require help from others. As a result, we’re attempting to understand more about it.”

Some Russian paratrooper soldiers have already landed in Kazakhstan, helping Kazakh police retake the airport from demonstrators on Friday.

Kazakh army have also taken decisive measures in Almaty to reclaim control. Local media broadcast recordings on Thursday showing government forces firing on protestors.

According to the Interior Ministry, 26 “armed criminals” and 18 security officials have been killed in the fighting so far, and President Tokayev has blamed the unrest on “terrorists”

On Sunday, mass demonstrations erupted as the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used to fuel many automobiles in Kazakhstan, doubled.

Fuel price controls will be reinstated for six months, according to the administration. The declaration, however, has failed to put a halt to the demonstrations, which have now expanded to encompass other political issues.

In Kazakhstan, there is no meaningful political opposition, and the ruling party consistently wins elections with about 100% of the vote. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s last president, reigned for 29 years and has retained enormous authority since leaving office.

Mr. Tokayev has now dismissed him as the country’s security council’s chairman.

On Saturday, it was also revealed that Karim Massimov, a former prime minister and security head, and other officials had been detained on accusations of treason on Thursday.

There have been no more information released about the arrests.

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