Kazakhstan protests: Russia sends in troops to stop deadly uprising as Almaty hit by street gun battles

Kazakhstan‘s interior ministry said on Thursday 18 security officers had died so far in clashes with protesters.

The death toll has increased from 13 previously.

The ministry also said 2,298 protestors had been detained.

An unknown number of protesters, believed to be dozens, have also died in violent clashes with police.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in a phone call on Thursday that Turkey stood in solidarity with Kazakhstan, Reuters reports.

In a statement, the Turkish presidency said Mr Erdogan told Mr Tokayev that Turkey was closely monitoring developments and he hoped tensions would ease and a new government would be formed as soon as possible, while also offering “all forms of technical information and experience” if needed.

Mr Erdogan also discussed the developments with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and said he believed the crisis would be resolved through dialogue, his office said.

A senior European Union diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Thursday that Russia’s military intervention in Kazakhstan brought back “memories of situations to be avoided”.

Mr Borrell expressed “great concern” about the situation and added: “Rights and security of civilians must be guaranteed ... EU is ready to support in addressing this crisis.”

Production at one of Kazakhstan’s top oil fields, Tengiz, was reduced on Thursday, its operator Chevron said, as some contractors disrupted train lines in support of protests taking place across the country.

“TCO production operations continue, however, there has been a temporary adjustment to output due to logistics,” Chevron, the largest foreign oil producer in Kazakhstan with a 50% stake in the Tengizchevroil (TCO) joint venture, said in a statement.

TCO produces around 700,000 barrels per day (bpd). It was not clear by how much output has been reduced.

Kazakhstan is a major oil producer with output of about 1.6 million bpd in recent months.

Russian state-affiliated media, Ruptly, has shared footage of Russian “peacekeepers” arriving in Kazakhstan.

The deployment includes armoured vehicles. It is not immediately clear where the Russian troops will be stationed or how many will be sent to Kazakhstan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi regarding the ongoing state of emergency in Kazakhstan, the US State Department said.

“The secretary reiterated the United States’ full support for Kazakhstan’€™s constitutional institutions and media freedom and advocated for a peaceful, rights-respecting resolution to the crisis,” the State Department said.

The UK has issued a statement calling for calm and saying protests should be peaceful and the law enforcement response proportionate.

“We call for calm and we condemn acts of violence and the destruction of property and buildings,” the foreign office said.

“We also call for a resumption of internet services and for the Kazakh authorities to respect their commitments to freedom of speech and expression.”

Thursday evening saw renewed battles in Almaty’s main square, occupied alternately by troops and hundreds of protesters throughout much of the day, reports Reuters.

Earlier, military personnel regained control of the main airport.

Reuters reporters heard explosions and gunfire as military vehicles and scores of soldiers advanced, although the shooting stopped again after nightfall. 

Economist Timothy Ash, who specialises in the region, writes in his blog:

So it seems that “order” will be restored in Kazakhstan, but only with the help of Russian/CSTO troops.

The subsequent crackdown will likely be far reaching.

Events this week seemed to suggest that Kazakh security forces were reluctant to fire on their own people - no such problem for Putin who has proven more than willing to put down his own people so will have absolutely no qualms in doing the same to other peoples’.

I would expect the bulk of the manpower here will be Russian, but with Belarus’ security forces using some of the “techniques” they have recently deployed at home. Lesser parts are likely to be played by more reluctant partners such as the Armenians and Kyrgyz. All very sad but predictable I guess as it was always clear that Putin at least viewed Kazakhstan to be firmly in the Russian “sphere of influence” and Moscow would ultimately intervene if need be.

Collective peacekeeping forces of the Russia-led CSTO are to stay in Kazakhstan for several days or weeks, Russia's RIA news agency is reporting.