Kazakh authorities point out the involvement of 'radical Islamist groups' in the protests

Kazakhstan has experienced the worst unrest in its 30-year history as an independent country over the past week. What began as protests against rising fuel prices quickly escalated into an episode of violence that has already claimed the lives of 164 people. In addition to the rejection of the price increase, the protesters also expressed their discontent towards the Kazakh government, headed by Kasim Khomart Tokayev and former president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The former Kazakh leader, who began ruling the country when it was still a Soviet republic, left power in 2019, although many analysts say he continued to lead the country in the shadows.   

Shortly after the riots turned violent, leaving numerous government buildings in flames and shops looted, the Kazakh executive requested military assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), an alliance of six former Soviet republics: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Putin, who has sent more than 75 military aircraft, has become Tokayev's main ally, calling the protests "an act of aggression". 

The Russian leader also pointed out that there are "external forces" that seek to "destabilise Central Asia" and do not want to bring peace and stability to the region. "The events in Kazakhstan are not the first and will not be the last attempts to interfere in the region from outside," he added. In this context, Putin has reported that Russian troops will leave the country "once their mission is over". The Tokayev government, like the Kremlin, has indicated that the "armed aggressions" have been provoked by external actors. In this case, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry has spoken of "well-coordinated terrorist groups trained abroad". "According to preliminary data, the attackers include people who have experience in military combat zones in the ranks of radical Islamist groups," the Ministry explained as reported by Reuters. Since the riots began, the Kazakh government has come down hard on the protesters, describing them as "bandits and terrorists". For this reason, last Friday Tokayev ordered security forces to shoot to kill without warning. 

The United States, meanwhile, has criticised Russia's presence in Kazakhstan amid new negotiations over the Ukraine crisis. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a press conference that "once the Russians are in your house, sometimes it's very hard to get them to leave", while US press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed Putin's statements about "outside forces" as "disinformation strategies that are clearly part of the Russian playbook". Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also made statements along these lines. The head of European diplomacy expressed his concern about the situation in Kazakhstan on his Twitter account, pointing out that "external military assistance is a reminder of situations that must be avoided". However, Russia is not the only country that has sent troops at Tokayev's request; other CSTO states such as Armenia and Belarus have also come to the aid of the Kazakh authorities. 

Foreign troops in Kazakhstan, especially Russian troops, have not only provoked rejection from the West, but have also caused the creation of anti-government and anti-Russian militias in the former Soviet republic. A video has circulated on social media of four armed individuals who claim to have founded a militia called the "Liberation Movement of Kazakhstan". In the video they declare war on Putin's and Tokayev's government. However, several sources claim that Russia could be behind this video to justify its intervention in the country.  

Despite the Kazakh government's assurances that the situation is under control, the number of detainees has risen to almost 8,000, according to the Ministry of the Interior. On the other hand, the city of Almaty will take a long time to recover from the violent events, as BBC correspondent Abdujalil Abdurasulov laments, "the city looks like something out of an apocalypse movie". The riots have also reaffirmed Putin's commitment to his Central Asian allies. "The steps taken by the CSTO have clearly demonstrated that we will not allow the situation to falter in the region and we will not allow so-called 'colour revolutions' to take place," he said in a virtual meeting with the other leaders of the alliance. He also took the opportunity to praise the work of the CSTO, arguing that the "organisation has demonstrated its potential, its ability to act quickly, decisively and efficiently".