Russia-led troops start withdrawing from Kazakhstan
January 13, 2022
Peacekeeping troops deployed under a Moscow-led regional military alliance have begun pulling back from Kazakhstan, officials said. They were deployed amid anti-government protests that left scores of people dead.
Around 2,000 troops were deployed to Kazakhstan under the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty OrganizationImage: Valery Sharifulin/TASS/picture alliance
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Russia-led soldiers began withdrawing from Kazakhstan after being called in amid unprecedented unrest, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
It was the first peacekeeping deployment for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional military alliance led by Russia and comprised of six ex-Soviet states.
Around 2,000 soldiers were sent in after protests over fuel price hikes in the Central Asian country grew into larger anti-government protests that saw deadly clashes and thousands arrested.
What did Russia say?
In a statement published by Russian news agencies, the Defense Ministry said that troops that had been guarding key facilities in Kazakhstan began transferring over protection of the sites to local law enforcement.
The troops also started preparations to leave Kazakhstan and return to their home countries.
The "collective peacekeeping forces [...] are starting to prepare equipment and materiel for loading into the planes of the military transport aviation of the Russian aerospace forces and returning to the points of permanent deployment," the statement added.
The pullback is expected to be completed within 10 days.
CSTO troops deployed in Kazakhstan included soldiers from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Scores of people have been killed and injured in the unrest. Now, embattled President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has asked a Russian-led military alliance for help.
Protests were first triggered by a dramatic rise in the price of fuel. Within a matter of days, the unrest spread throughout the oil-and-gas-rich former Soviet republic of 18 million, morphing into a broad, anti-government protest wave.
Image: Abduaziz Madyarov/AFP
Leadership under pressure
To placate protesters, fuel prices were cut. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (pictured above in 2019) on Wednesday dismissed the government. Countrywide protests, however, continue unabated.
Image: Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin/REUTERS
Military deployed to Almaty
President Tokayev has announced a state of emergency, leading to nationwide nighttime curfews, limits to where people may move and a ban on gatherings. Tokayev has also called on the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led military alliance, to provide help.
Image: STR/REUTERS
Pent-up anger, large-scale destruction
On Wednesday, thousands of people stormed the city hall and other government buildings in Almaty, Kazakhstan's most populous city and commercial center. Several government buildings reportedly went up in flames. Protesters also briefly took control of Almaty airport.
Image: Pavel Mikheyev/REUTERS
Casualties and fatalities
According to government reports, at least 18 security offices have been killed. Authorities also say "dozens of attackers" have been "eliminated," meaning scores of civilians have been killed as well. Over 1,000 people have reportedly been injured. Almost 400 were sent to hospitals around the country for treatment, according to Deputy Health Minister Azhar Guiniyat.
Image: Pavel Mikheyev/REUTERS
Rare unrest
Large-scale protests are unusual in Kazakhstan, which remains under authoritarian rule. President Tokayev, who succeeded long-time ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2019, faces the gravest crisis of his tenure. The 81-year-old Nazarbayev is said to retain considerable influence in the country, and is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Image: Mariya Gordeyeva/REUTERS
Russian troops dispatched
Russia has already sent paratroopers (pictured here departing from near Moscow) as part of a wider CSTO peacekeeping mission. Other CSTO member states include Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Authorities have said foreign troops will help protect key state and military sites.
Image: Russian Defence Ministry/AFP
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Protests against rising fuel prices broke out in Kazakhstan on January 2, before quickly spreading across the country.
The demonstrations evolved into wider discontent against President Tokayev's government.
The demonstrations turned violent last week. In Almaty, the former capital and largest city in Kazakhstan, protesters set fire to government buildings and briefly took control of the airport.
Tokayev announced a state of emergency and gave a shoot-to-kill order to security forces — sparking international outcry.
The president also claimed the protests were sparked by foreign-backed "terrorists" but did not provide any evidence.
The Health Ministry briefly reported that over 160 people had been killed in the unrest, although the report was later deleted without a reason being provided. Dozens of people were also injured.
Around 12,000 people have been arrested in the aftermath of the demonstrations.
![A Russian peacekeeper guards the Druzhba [Friendship] water pump station in Kazakhstan](https://static.dw.com/image/60406957_800.webp)