Russian Forces Mass Before Deployment to Kazakhstan

Russian soldiers had started to arrive in Kazakhstan by January 7 as part of force being dispatched by members of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), after the country’s president requested assistance in quelling protests. The unrest began on January 2 in the country’s western Mangistau region following the removal of a cap on the price of liquefied petroleum gas, which is used to power vehicles in the country. Though the government later rescinded the decision, demonstrations spread to other cities including Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, where clashes between protesters and security forces have turned violent. On Thursday, January 6, a spokesperson for the police in Almaty said “dozens” of people had been killed by security forces overnight. According to the United Nations, nearly 1,000 people had been injured in protests over the last week. The Kazakh Interior Ministry said 12 law enforcement officers had died, and over 300 members of the security forces had been wounded since January 2. The CSTO met a January 5 request from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to help secure the country from what he described as a “terrorist threat.” This footage, released by the Russian military, shows forces massing at Ivanovo Severny air base, one of the locations from where Russian forces were deploying to Kazakhstan. Credit: Russian Military via Storyful

from Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/3G6lYKF

January 07, 2022 at 11:19PM
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Russian soldiers had started to arrive in Kazakhstan by January 7 as part of force being dispatched by members of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), after the country’s president requested assistance in quelling protests. The unrest began on January 2 in the country’s western Mangistau region following the removal of a cap on the price of liquefied petroleum gas, which is used to power vehicles in the country. Though the government later rescinded the decision, demonstrations spread to other cities including Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, where clashes between protesters and security forces have turned violent. On Thursday, January 6, a spokesperson for the police in Almaty said “dozens” of people had been killed by security forces overnight. According to the United Nations, nearly 1,000 people had been injured in protests over the last week. The Kazakh Interior Ministry said 12 law enforcement officers had died, and over 300 members of the security forces had been wounded since January 2. The CSTO met a January 5 request from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to help secure the country from what he described as a “terrorist threat.” This footage, released by the Russian military, shows forces massing at Ivanovo Severny air base, one of the locations from where Russian forces were deploying to Kazakhstan. Credit: Russian Military via Storyful