Dozens of dead and 1,000 injured in riots in Kazakhstan – Russia sends troops

The trigger for the biggest wave of protests in years was resentment at the significantly higher fuel prices at the petrol stations in the oil- and gas-rich ex-Soviet republic with more than 18 million inhabitants. Many Kazakhs use liquefied petroleum gas because it is cheaper than gasoline. At the turn of the year, the previous government lifted the cap on LPG, and the price more than doubled.

The anti-government protests began at the weekend. On Thursday night, the dispatch of foreign soldiers to Kazakhstan by a Russian-led military alliance fueled fears of a further escalation of the situation in the former Soviet republic. It was said that the soldiers of the Alliance should be deployed for a limited period of time “to stabilize and normalize the situation in the country”.

However, the Kazakh government sought this help after its own troops used gun violence against demonstrators critical of the government. According to the Interfax news agency, the police said that several troublemakers had been “eliminated”.

The US and EU called for moderation on all sides and called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Trigger: Expensive energy

The mass protests against the sharp rise in fuel prices in Kazakhstan turned into violent unrest on Wednesday. According to media reports, protesters stormed the president’s residence in Almaty and set fire there, and the main administrative building with the mayor’s office was also on fire.

President Tokayev announced in a televised address “maximum severity” against “lawbreakers”. He extended a state of emergency already existing for Almaty and the capital Nur-Sultan because of the mass protests to the whole country. A night curfew was imposed in both cities and freedom of movement was restricted there.

Tokayev added that the riots were being led by “terrorist gangs” that had received support from unspecified countries.

Several Kazakh Telegram channels published videos on Thursday night that are said to show military action against demonstrators in the urban area of ​​the economic metropolis of Almaty. Shot noises can be heard on the recordings and people screaming.

The Kazakh television broadcaster Khabar 24 announced on Thursday morning that security forces would continue to crack down on demonstrators. “The anti-terrorism operation to restore order will continue in Almaty,” it said. The Russian state agency Ria Novosti reported that military vehicles had collected bodies in the city. Banks have also stopped working for the time being.

In view of the serious unrest, Lufthansa has canceled flights to Almaty. “Due to further developments, Lufthansa has now decided not to offer any more regular flights to Almaty until further notice,” the airline group announced on Thursday. On Wednesday demonstrators temporarily occupied the airport in Almaty. The security forces then brought the airport back under control. Other airlines such as Flydubai and Air Arabia have also suspended connections to Almaty. According to the Russian space agency Roskosmos, security measures have been strengthened at the Baikonur spaceport.

Kazakhstan: Internet blockade creates unclear information

The information situation is made more difficult by repeated blockages of the Internet in Kazakhstan. The network was shut down for hours on Wednesday – presumably to make new meetings more difficult. Several television stations stopped operating.

On the night of Thursday, the websites of authorities, police and airports were again inaccessible, as the Russian state agency Tass reported. Internet sites such as the state news agency Kazinform and other media were also not available from Germany.

According to Tass, there was a complete internet failure in Almaty, which paralyzed social networks as a central coordination tool for demonstrators. The mobile network in the economic metropolis was also dead.

The US State Department has called on security forces and protesters in Central Asian Kazakhstan for moderation and called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. “We ask all Kazakhs to respect and defend the constitutional institutions, human rights and freedom of the press, including the restoration of Internet access,” said the spokesman for the ministry, Ned Price, on Wednesday. The US urged all parties to find a peaceful solution to the state of emergency, Price said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called for a peaceful solution on Wednesday. Problems had to be solved “within the framework of constitutional and legal provisions and through dialogue and not through riots in the streets”. “We hope for a quick normalization of the situation,” it said.

Experts took Tokayev’s call for help as a sign that he could no longer rely on his army. As a consequence of the protests, he had already dismissed the government on Wednesday and threatened to crack down on demonstrators.

At the same time, he instructed Tokayev the provincial government and the provincial governors to introduce price limits for gasoline, diesel and other socially important consumer goods. He also suggested freezing utility prices and helping poor families with rent payments.

The country with more than 18 million inhabitants borders among others with Russia and China. It is rich in oil and gas reserves. The republic is also one of the largest uranium producers in the world. Nevertheless, Kazakhstan is struggling with mismanagement and poverty. In Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom ranking, Kazakhstan ranks 155th out of 180 countries.

More: Natural gas and nuclear power as “green energies” – applause from business, criticism from Berlin