(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 since its independence in 1991.
Troops cleared a main square in Almaty, the nation’s largest city, Tass reported. The Russian news agency earlier cited heavy gunfire and explosions in the former capital.
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:
- Main story: Russia Sends Troops to Kazakhstan as Crackdown Turns Deadly
- Why Kazakhstan Protests Reverberate Beyond the Region: QuickTake
- Uranium Surges as Unrest Grips World’s Top Supplier
- Russia Legislator Sees Kazakh Mission Lasting Only A Few Weeks
- Leonid Bershidsky: The West Needs to Think Beyond Vladimir Putin
- Kazakhstan Turmoil Spurs Bonds’ Biggest Drop in the Pandemic Era
- TAV Airports Declines at Open in Istanbul After Kazakh Riots
Troops Clear Main Square in Almaty, Tass Reports (7:14 p.m.)
Troops cleared the main Republic Square in Almaty after many protesters fled when shooting started, Tass reported, citing an eyewitness account. Witnesses said there were dead and wounded at the scene, though there was no official confirmation of fatalities, it said. Government forces also regained control of the city administration building and the presidential residence in Almaty, Tass reported, citing Khabar-24 TV.
Blinken Calls for ‘Rights-Respecting’ Resolution to Crisis (6:37 p.m.)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the Kazakh government to seek a “peaceful, rights-respecting resolution to the crisis” after a phone call with his counterpart the country, Mukhtar Tileuberdi. The U.S. will back the country’s “constitutional institutions and media freedom,” the department said in a readout of the phone call.
The European Union expressed “great concern.” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said on Twitter that “rights and security of civilians must be guaranteed.”
Situation in Almaty is ‘Most Difficult,’ Kazakh Interior Ministry Says (6:20 p.m.)
The security situation Almaty is “the most difficult” as authorities attempt to put down protests, the Interior Ministry said, according to Interfax. Protesters had seized government buildings including the airport in the city and gunfire was heard as security forces moved in.
Turkey’s Erdogan Offers Tokayev Solidarity, Technical Knowledge (6:09 p.m.)
Turkey is ready to share any kind of technical knowledge or experience with Kazakhstan if needed, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Kazakh counterpart in a phone call.
Erdogan expressed his solidarity with authorities in Kazakhstan and underlined the support of other members of the Organization of Turkic States, including Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, according to a statement.
Kazakh Companies Say Operations So Far Little Affected by Protests (5:52 p.m.)
ArcelorMittal, which has both mining and steelmaking assets in the country, said that the situation in the central Karaganda region, where its operations are located, remains calm. Russian steelmaker Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel, which sources iron ore from Kazakhstan for its operations, also said shipments are running.
There’s been an adjustment production at the Tengiz oil field, the nation’s largest, according to Tengizchevroil, the operator of the asset. A person familiar with the matter said earlier that the change was small.
Heavy Gunfire Erupts in Almaty, Tass Reports (3:52 p.m.)
The sound of heavy shooting and large explosions were heard from one of the city’s squares, according to Tass, which also reported injuries. Military officials called for people to leave the square over loudspeaker and warned that it would open fire, Tass said.
Uranium Deliveries Not Affected by Kazakh Unrest, Top Miner Says (3:28 p.m.)
Kazakhstan’s top uranium miner, Kazatomprom, said supplies of the radioactive metal used for nuclear fuel haven’t been disrupted by the unrest and work at all company units has continued. Kazakhstan produces more than 40% of the world’s uranium; prices for the metal jumped.
“We are fulfilling all our obligations easily, there are no problems with uranium shipments and we will meet all delivery deadlines,” Kazatomprom Chief Commercial Officer Askar Batyrbayev said in a phone interview.
Russian Foreign Ministry Says Unrest ‘Inspired From Outside’ (1:51 p.m.)
The unrest in Kazakhstan is “an attempt inspired from outside to violently undermine the security and integrity of the state with the use of organized and trained armed units,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday in a statement.
The ministry didn’t offer further details on who was meant by outside forces. A senior Russian legislator, Konstantin Kosachyov, blamed terrorist groups from Afghanistan and the Middle East, without providing evidence.
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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