Russian CSTO forces start leaving Kazakhstan
The Russian Defense Ministry announces the withdrawal of the first batch of the Russian Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) forces from Alma-Ata airport in Kazakhstan towards their permanent deployment points.
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4 Il-76 military transport aircraft will transport units of Russian paratroopers (Russian Defence Ministry/TASS)
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the first units of the Russian landing forces within the CSTO forces left Alma-Ata airport to their point of permanent deployment.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that "the first units of Russian paratroopers of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the Republic of Kazakhstan loaded their equipment onto Russian military transport aircraft and took off from Alma-Ata airport to the point of permanent deployment."
The ministry confirmed that 4 Il-76 military transport aircraft will transport units of Russian paratroopers to the Ivanovo region.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had announced earlier that Russia would withdraw its peacekeeping forces from Kazakhstan.
Last Tuesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the end of the peacekeeping missions with "success," noting that their withdrawal will begin within two days and will not take more than 10 days.
Kazakhstan has witnessed, since the beginning of January, massive demonstrations accompanied by widespread violence, which initially started from the cities of Zhanauzyn and Aktau, in protest against the doubling of liquefied gas prices.
Tokayev: Kazakhstan survived a coup attempt
The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said on January 10 that his country survived an attempted coup.
According to the commander 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 counter-terrorism operations 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.
