(Bloomberg) — Russia and its allies dispatched troops to help quell protests in Kazakhstan after fuel-price increases unleashed a wave of popular anger that poses the biggest threat to the central Asian country’s leadership in decades.
Dozens of anti-government protesters were killed by security forces, police said Thursday, after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered them to put down the demonstrations, which have drawn thousands. Banks were shut for the day Thursday. Tokayev imposed a nationwide state of emergency and internet access was severed across much of the country.
The intervention marks the second major move by the Kremlin in as many years to shore up an ally facing upheaval. In 2020, President Vladimir Putin stepped in to back Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on popular protests, which drew sanctions from the U.S. and its allies.
Key Developments:
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- Russia Legislator Sees Kazakh Mission Lasting Only A Few Weeks
- Leonid Bershidsky: The West Needs to Think Beyond Vladimir Putin
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Russia Legislator Sees Kazakh Mission Lasting Only A Few Weeks (1:12 p.m.)
Russian troops will likely be needed in Kazakhstan for only a few weeks to help quell protests but the deployment will be a test for the Moscow-led alliance that’s sending them, according to a senior legislator.
“I think it will end in a few weeks, not months,” Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the committee in Russia’s State Duma responsible for relations with other ex-Soviet states, said in a telephone interview Thursday. “Kazakhstan has faced this situation before,” he said, referring to 2011 protests that authorities crushed without resorting to foreign help.
Kazakhstan’s Katco Uranium Output Is Continuing, Orano Says (12:52 p.m.)
The activity of Katco, a uranium mining joint venture between Kazatomprom and France’s Orano, isn’t suspended at this stage as the mining site is far away from the tension areas, a spokesman for Orano said.
Katco has annual production capacity of 4,000 tons of uranium, according to the website of Orano, which mines and processes uranium for clients such as EDF.
Three Airports in Kazakhstan Closed Amid Protests: State TV (11:53 a.m.)
Flights into Almaty have been halted due to the upheaval, state TV reported, citing the airport.
Aktau and Aktobe airports are also closed, it said, while 25 passenger trains were canceled because two stations have been occupied by protesters.
Twelve Police Killed in Unrest (11:25 a.m.)
Twelve police have been killed in the upheaval, according to a statement from Almaty police, including one who was beheaded. A further 353 officers have been hurt.
The government has introduced a six-month cap on the prices of diesel, gasoline and liquefied gas in an effort to ease the explosion of public anger over falling living standards.
Tokayev Orders Probe Into Causes of Protests (10:52 a.m.)
President Tokayev has ordered an investigation into the causes of the protests and called for the authorities to improve the country’s military preparedness, according to state television.
Tokayev also told the central bank and financial regulation authority to prepare for banks to resume operations after the situation stabilizes and ordered the creation of a hotline for relatives to find out about missing people and casualties.
China Says Kazakh Situation is an Internal Affair (10:39 a.m.)
China considers the Kazakh protests an internal issue and is confident authorities can properly deal with the situation, the Foreign Ministry said.
China hopes the situation stabilizes soon, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Thursday at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Russia Sends Airborne Troops to Kazakhstan (10:34 a.m.)
Russian paratroopers started deployment as part of a joint peacekeeping operation by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CTSO), the bloc said in statement, according to Tass. Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are also deploying to Kazakhstan. The CTSO is a Russia-dominated security alliance.
At Least 400 People Hospitalized in Kazakh Protest Crackdown (10:05 a.m.)
One thousand people have been hurt in the crackdown on protests, with 400 hospitalized and 62 are in intensive care, the Kazakh health ministry said in a statement on state television.
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