Putin: We have achieved victory in Kazakhstan, we will not allow "color revolutions" in the region

News agencies

10/01/2022

Monday, 10 January 2022, 15:34 Updated: 17:12

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In video: Kazakhstan president accuses protesters in his country of attempted coup (Photo: Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared today (Monday) that the Moscow-led military alliance that has deployed forces in Kazakhstan will not allow "color revolutions" in the countries of the region. Putin made the remarks during a virtual rally between the leaders of the Convention on Common Security, in which Russian companies and some of the former Soviet Union's members, and declared a "victory" over the uprising "with the support of foreign terrorists." He assured leaders that Moscow would protect them as well.

2,500 Russian, Belarusian, Armenian, Tajik and Kyrgyz troops have been sent to Kazakhstan in recent days to help the regime suppress the most widespread anti-government protests in the history of the former Soviet republic. They were deployed in several protest centers, where more than 160 people were killed, to protect strategic sites and in recent days there has been a lull in the situation.

"Color revolutions" are a nickname given to the uprisings that have erupted in the Soviet Union in the last two decades, and have been perceived as a threat to Russia's influence over them.

Moscow accuses the West, and the United States in particular, of supporting these uprisings.

The president of Kazakhstan said at the summit that his country was facing a "coup attempt".

He said, "Under the guise of spontaneous demonstrations, a wave of riots erupted. It was clear that the main purpose was to challenge the constitutional order and seize power."

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Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conference call after the riots in Kazakhstan, January 10, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)

Putin has accused "external forces" of interfering in the "internal affairs of our countries," with similar allegations by authorities in Kazakhstan, who have arrested some 8,000 people since the outbreak of protests last week. Putin and Kazakh President Qassim Jumrat Tokayev did not provide evidence for their claims that some of the protesters were linked to foreign Islamist terrorist organizations. The Russian president said Kazakhstan had been targeted as "international terrorism".

Putin has promised that the "peacekeeping forces" stationed in Kazakhstan will remain there only for a limited time, amid fears in the United States and the West of a permanent Russian military presence in the Central Asian country, one of the world's largest oil and uranium producers. This is while the West is busy trying to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine, also a former member of the Soviet Union. Crucial talks were opened today between Russian and American representatives in Geneva on the crisis.

The Russian president, demonstrating his determination to maintain Russia's influence in the territory of the former Soviet Union, warned that "the events in Kazakhstan are not the first and certainly not the last attempt" for foreign intervention in the affairs of the countries of the region.

"The steps taken by the alliance have clearly shown that we will not allow the situation to be challenged from home."

He said the alliance had succeeded in "preventing the undermining of the foundations of the state, the complete destruction of the internal situation in Kazakhstan and the arrest of terrorists, criminals, looters and other criminal elements".

Cleaning worker on the streets of Almaty Kazakhstan, January 10, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)

The uprising in Kazakhstan began when protests against rising fuel prices with the start of the year quickly spread to nationwide demonstrations against the government and against 81-year-old former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev, who was the oldest ruler of a former Soviet republic, transferred the post to Tokayev three years ago, but it is estimated he retained his power behind the scenes.

"The main blow was directed against (the city) Almaty. The fall of this city would have paved the way for the takeover of the densely populated south and then the whole country," Tokayev said. "After that, they planned to take over the capital." Tokayev said the extensive "counter-terrorism" operation would end soon, along with the task of organizing the Common Security Convention which he said numbered 2,030 troops and 250 vehicles and other military equipment.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the attackers included "people with combat experience in the ranks of extremist Islamist groups on the battlefield", without providing further details. The National Security Commission, the successor to the

KGB

, said the situation had stabilized and that security forces had regained control.

It has been heard since the riots broke out, and he has been ousted as head of the National Security Council, which he has chaired since the presidency

.

Today is commemorated today but in memory of the victims of the riots, whose official number is unknown.

Kazakh and Russian media outlets, citing a post published by the government on social media, reported yesterday that at least 164 people had been killed in clashes.

However, the Ministry of Health and Police did not confirm the data, and the post has since been deleted.

The unprecedented violence shocked the residents of Almaty and they shared on the network a song lamenting that "City of Gardens" "was raped, occupied, trampled and burned."

During the day, cleaners cleared debris from the streets of the city, the former capital, which are still filled with burned cars.

Most stores reopened, public transportation and traffic returned to normal, and the Internet was reconnected for a few hours, for the first time since Wednesday.

The square next to the mayor's office, which burned down during the protests, was under heavy security and access to it was blocked, while police conducted searches of cars passing by the checkpoint.

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