Putin: Russian peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan to end soon
The Russian President says the peacekeeping forces that were deployed at the official request of Kazakhstan's President are set to leave soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that the mission of the Russian-led peacekeeping troops in Kazakhstan will soon come to an end.
Putin stressed that the deployment of the forces came at the official request of Kazakhstan's President and prevented militants from undermining the rule of the country. The Russian President emphasized that those who took up arms in Kazakhstan had goals different from those of demonstrators, noting that such events are not the first and won't be the last attempt at external interference in the region.
He explained that the CSTO has demonstrated its capabilities and ability to act quickly and successfully form an integrated security system for participating countries.
He also emphasized that Moscow will not allow others to destabilize the nation or allow for a "color revolution", noting that some external and internal forces have exploited the economic situation in Kazakhstan to achieve their ominous purposes.
He added that the recent events in Kazakhstan confirm that some forces do not hesitate to use social networks and the internet to recruit extremists and terrorists and to form sleeper cells from militants, noting that the militants have received training and have experience fighting.
Tokayev: Kazakhstan survived a coup attempt
The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said on Monday that his country survived an attempted coup.
According to the commandant of the Almaty region on Saturday, all facilities and infrastructure in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan were operating regularly and as per usual.
In parallel, the message said the counter-terrorism operation in the area was still ongoing.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian peacekeeping troops, part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) deployment to protest-torn Kazakhstan, conducted emergency prevention drills at an airport near Almaty on Sunday.
On Wednesday, violent clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators resumed in the city center of Almaty in Kazakhstan Wednesday, according to Al Mayadeen's bureau chief in Moscow.