Kazakh riots: Russia intervenes and Putin takes a risk - a turning point?

Created: 01/10/2022 05:07 AM

From: Astrid Theil

The serious unrest in Kazakhstan continues.

Meanwhile, President Tokayev is using the situation to expand power.

News ticker

• The serious unrest in Kazakhstan * due to rising oil prices continues.

• President Kassym-Schomart Tokayev is using the situation to expand power

  (see initial report)

  .

• More than 100 people are said to have been killed in connection with the protests

  (update from January 9, 12:30 p.m.)

  .

• This 

  news ticker

  is updated regularly

  .

Update from January 9, 9:18 p.m.:

Given the intervention of Russia in Kazakhstan, there were some concerns about a takeover of power by the Kremlin in the Central Asian country.

However, several experts have massive doubts about this thesis - they rather see Russia facing problems in view of the political situation in Kazakhstan, as

* reports.

Kazakhstan: Russia's military alliance wants to discuss how to proceed - is the situation “under control”?

Update from January 9th, 5:16 p.m

.: After the intervention of the Russian-dominated military alliance CSTO in the Republic of Kazakhstan *, its member countries want to advise on how to proceed.

A video conference is planned for Monday (January 10th) in view of the serious riots.

The Organization of the Treaty on Collective Security for Assistance (CSTO), which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, sent 2,500 soldiers to the ex-Soviet republic bordering China and Russia at Kazakhstan's request. The protests in the oil and gas-rich country have been going on for a week. Displeasure over the rise in fuel prices at the petrol stations turned into peaceful, but also sometimes violent protests against the government in many places (see initial report).

The authoritarian authorities say the situation is now under control.

As the office of Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev announced after another crisis meeting, the operations against demonstrators are continuing.

"Measures are being taken to locate and arrest terrorists." Tokayev described demonstrators, some of whom are said to be armed, as "terrorists" and "bandits".

Almost 6,000 people have now been arrested, it said.

New figures on civilian deaths and injuries were not given, and independent data are still difficult to obtain.

The Internet was switched off in Kazakhstan.

Kazakh riots: Russia intervenes and Putin takes a risk - a turning point?

Update from January 9, 2:30 p.m.:

The presence of a Russian-led military alliance in Kazakhstan, which is currently marked by serious unrest, worries international experts. The Russian military presence in the Central Asian country is seen as a short-term success for the Russian government. This can expand its influence on Kazakhstan through military operations. However, in the medium and long term, the mood in Kazakhstan could tip and turn against Russia. This assumption was last made by the journalist and ntv Russia reporter Rainer Munz. The mood in the Kazakh population is currently turning against Russia.

Something similar happened in Belarus. The actually pro-Russian mood of the population of Belarus tipped over with the open support of the authoritarian regime by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deployment of the military alliance, which consists of former Soviet states and is dominated by Russia, was only possible because President Tokayev stated that the unrest was instigated by foreign enemies. In this way the alliance case was given, which made military use possible. According to Munz, Russia is currently interested in maintaining the authoritarian regime in Kazakhstan. The military operation now represents, among other things, an opportunity to bind the resource-rich Kazakhstan, which has hitherto pursued a "rocking policy" between China, Russia and the West, closer to Moscow.

USA worried about Russian troops in Kazakhstan: "difficult to get rid of"

Update from January 9, 2 p.m.:

The situation in Central Asian Kazakhstan has still not calmed down.

Violent clashes continue to occur in the economic metropolis of Almaty.

A Russian-led military alliance is currently intervening with at least 2,500 soldiers in Kazakhstan.

Kazakh President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev asked for military support.

The US is concerned about the "peacekeeping forces" in Kazakhstan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the crisis had to be resolved in compliance with human rights and raised the problem of the presence of Russian troops.

"I think we have learned one thing: once Russians enter your house, it will be difficult to get rid of them," said Blinken.

The allusion applies in particular to the Ukraine crisis.

In fact, the Russian general who currently led the operation in Kazakhstan is the same who led the operation in Crimea.

In view of the tense situation, Germany has stopped all arms deliveries to Kazakhstan.

According to the order to shoot: More than 100 people were killed in riots

Update from January 9, 12.30 p.m.:

According to official information, 164 people were killed in the serious unrest in Kazakhstan. The state television informed about this on Sunday (January 9th) and referred to information from the Ministry of Health. In addition, more than 2,200 people are said to have been injured in the past few days. Around 1,100 people were injured, particularly in the city of Almaty in southeastern Kazakhstan, which was hit by the protests.

According to the Ministry of Health, 719 patients were treated in hospitals on Sunday.

The condition of 83 people was described as "serious".

However, the authorities did not provide details of the nature of the injuries.

President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev issued an order to shoot on Friday (January 7th).

Specific figures on civilians killed were not given.

The authorities had recently spoken of a total of more than 40 people killed, including security forces.

The figures given by the authorities have fluctuated greatly in the past few days.

There are few independent reports on the dead and injured.

Serious unrest in Kazakhstan: more than 5,000 arrests

First report from January 9th, 12 noon:

Only Sultan - For days there have been violent riots in Central Asian Kazakhstan, in the course of which the head of state Tokayev asked a military alliance led by Russia for help. At the same time as the protests, Tokayev has been rebuilding the power apparatus over the past few days and filling central posts with his followers.

So far, over 5,000 people have been arrested across the country.

On Sunday morning (January 9th), the Ministry of the Interior of the authoritarian-led ex-Soviet republic in the capital Nur Sultans announced that “5,135 people have so far been arrested in all of Kazakhstan”.

Investigations into various offenses have been launched against the arrested.

Among the detainees are high-ranking officials such as the former head of the secret service Karim Massimov.

The long-standing trust of the former President Nursultan Nazarbayev is being blamed for high treason.

President Tokayev is using the moment to secure and expand power

Other followers of the former President Nazarbayev, who continued to influence politics in Kazakhstan in the background, were also removed from key positions in the power apparatus. President Tokayev appears to have used the unrest to expand his influence and consolidate his position. Right at the beginning of the protests he dismissed the government under Asqar Mamin, who is also a follower of Nazarbayev. The deputy secretary of the Security Council was also dismissed and Torkayev placed himself at the head of a powerful body, ousting Nazarbayev. He had his spokesman explain that he was behind President Tokayev and that everyone should do the same.

The interior authorities announced that 16 members of the security forces had been killed during the previous riots.

Around 1,300 police officers, soldiers and other security forces were injured in the clashes.

Most recently, the authorities had named a number of 40 people killed - including security forces.

The more than 5,000 detainees are accused of destroying more than 100 shopping centers or bank buildings, the incumbent Interior Minister Erlan Turgumbayev told the TV broadcaster

.

In addition, 400 vehicles are said to have been destroyed during the riots.

Serious unrest in cities: Basic food supplies in other regions secured

While the metropolis of Amaty in southeast Kazakhstan and the city of Taldykorgan in particular are still affected by serious unrest, the situation in other parts of the country seems to have calmed down. The authorities tried to ensure this, among other things, by securing the supply of remote regions with basic foodstuffs. This was announced by the Tass agency, based on information from the Ministry of Commerce. The Ministry of Energy announced that the supply of fuel and liquid gas had also started.

On Friday (January 7), President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev ordered the police and army to shoot protesters “without warning”.

He called them “terrorists” and “bandits”.

In the face of this instruction, it was feared that numerous civilian casualties could result.

The starting point for the riots was the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations, against which there were peaceful demonstrations in many places.

Some of these demonstrations turned into violent protests against the government.

Prime Minister Tokayev declared a state of emergency.

A military alliance led by Russia is currently in the country.