Russia peacekeepers begin emergency drills near Almaty
The Russian Defense Ministry says Russian peacekeeping forces have begun to protect vital installations and key infrastructure in Kazakhstan.
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Russian peacekeeping troops departing for Kazakhstan
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, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to the Ministry, "Russia's CSTO peacekeeping units are conducting exercises at the Almaty airfield to train emergency prevention."
The Ministry stated that CSTO peacekeepers will continue to be airlifted to Almaty and Zhetygen airports near the former Kazakh capital. CSTO troops have been stationed around the nation to protect crucial infrastructure.
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday that more than 5,100 people were arrested during the recent riots in the country.
According to the statement "to date, 5,135 people have been arrested throughout Kazakhstan."
CSTO peacekeepers guard strategic assets
The Kazakh Presidency said on Sunday that peacekeepers from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of six post-Soviet states, are guarding key assets in protest-hit Kazakhstan.
"A joint contingent of CSTO peacekeepers was put on guard duty at several strategic facilities," the President's office said in a statement.
According to his office, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was briefed on measures to restore order in the country. Police and armed forces are maintaining a state of emergency, manning roadblocks, and searching for terrorists blamed for violence during protests, according to authorities.
The Kazakh military police announced that Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, was "under full control" of national security forces early on Sunday and denied media reports about an incoming incursion by the Taliban.
