Why did Russia-led military bloc intervene in Kazakhstan?

By admin On Jan 7, 2022

Five CSTO allies sent peacekeeping forces at Nur-Sultan’s request as it deals with mass unrest

A peacekeeping mission of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has been deployed to Kazakhstan as the nation struggles to control street violence. Here are the goals and the scope of the multinational mission.

Why did Kazakhstan’s government request peacekeepers?

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev requested the CSTO’s assistance on Wednesday, as violent unrest gripped the country. He said the call for help was “appropriate and timely,” insisting that authorities faced not just protesters, but a highly organized “terrorist threat,” aimed at “undermining the territorial integrity” of Kazakhstan.

Mass protests based on economic grievances began in the country at the start of the new year, after a sharp hike in liquefied petroleum gas prices. However, despite the government’s concessions, they were soon seemingly hijacked by groups demanding regime change, as well as bands of violent rioters and looters. Kazakh law enforcement appeared to be unable to cope with the escalating violence.

The call for help was acknowledged by the CSTO within hours after Tokayev made his plea. Late on Wednesday, the incumbent chairman of the bloc, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, confirmed that assistance would be sent.

Does it mean Russian soldiers will engage in street battles with rioters?

The main goal of the peacekeeping force is to protect “important government and strategic facilities,” the CSTO’s Secretary-General Stanislav Zas has said. Soldiers will also help local forces “maintain order” in the country.

The deployment will not be used to directly engage with protesters and rioters, and law enforcement tasks will continue to be carried out by the local police, officials have promised.

“The military personnel of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces are not involved in operative and combat activities of local law enforcement agencies and army units to establish law and order in the country,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Where will the peacekeepers be deployed?

While no precise list of the “strategic facilities” that are to be guarded by the soldiers has been provided, Russian military officials have revealed a handful of them. According to the Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, Russian peacekeepers will be used to protect the country’s consulates, as well as the international airport of Kazakhstan’s largest city of Almaty.

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Russia also has several sites of strategic importance that it leases from Kazakhstan, such as the famed Baikonur Cosmodrome. While it has not been confirmed whether any peacekeepers would be deployed to Baikonur, local authorities have ramped up the “terrorist threat” level and introduced certain restrictions, and self-defense patrols have been formed locally.

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Why did Russia-led military bloc intervene in Kazakhstan?

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Why did Russia-led military bloc intervene in Kazakhstan?

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