A special unit of Russian fighters arrived in Kazakhstan this morning (Thursday) after the Kremlin decided to respond to a request from President Qasim Tokayev, Russia and its allies to send aid to end the riots in the country.
According to some reports, the paratroopers landed at a Kazakh Air Force base near Almaty, the largest city in the country.
At this stage it is not clear whether other countries will send forces to the country or what extent the aid Moscow intends to transfer to the Kazakh regime.
Russian paratroopers board a plane that will take them to Kazakhstan, today, Photo: API.
Meanwhile, at least 12 policemen and dozens of protesters were killed last night in an exchange of gunfire between the rebels and regime members in Almaty.
Large forces of police and army raided the main boulevards and squares in the country, escorting armored personnel with the aim of displacing the protesters.
Videos uploaded to social media showed crowds flocking through the country's streets, some of whom yesterday toppled the statue of former Kazakh President Norsultan Nazarbayev, who still holds great influence in the country.
It is still unclear if the former president is in the country.
In Kazakhstan, however, rumors have surfaced that he went to Russia for treatment.
In addition, crowds stormed the presidential palace, the president's residence, in Almaty, yesterday while Tokayev was present in the city.
They also stormed many other government buildings in the city, as well as other major cities in the country.
Will receive additional assistance?
Kazakh President Qassim Tokayev in a statement to the country's public, yesterday, Photo: AP
As you may recall, a protest against the government in Kazakhstan began last week after citizens and workers in the country's oil industry demonstrated in the west of the country in protest of the authorities' decision to raise fuel prices.
The protest turned into an armed uprising after rebels and soldiers who defected from the Kazakh army took over the country's largest airport and public buildings in Almaty.
Tokayev responded to the protest against the cost of living and the political stalemate by saying that he would act with "maximum rigidity" against the protesters, and warned that he would not withdraw from his position.
Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, gained independence in 1997 and was ruled until 2018 by Nazarbayev, who established a loose autocratic regime in the country that allowed some opposition activity to power but narrowed its steps and stifled voices of protest.
The country has launched an unprecedented construction boom in the history of Kazakhstan and the oil money has been used to build a stable economy and a certain social support network for the citizens, which has helped prevent a significant protest so far.
Kazakh demonstrators in the city of Almaty, yesterday, Photo: AFP
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