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12 Jun, 2010 15:15

Kremlin will not intervene with military in Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz provisional government has asked Russia for military help, but Moscow plans to keep its aid strictly humanitarian at this point in time.

Earlier Kyrgyzstan's leaders called on Russia to send peacekeepers to help end the violence that has now spread from the south-western city of Osh to nearby Dzhalal-Abad.

However, the Kremlin says Moscow cannot get involved at this stage, because the crisis is an  internal affair of Kyrgyzstan.

Nonetheless, Russia has sent an Il-76 transport plane to the country with humanitarian aid and ten medics, who will help to evacuate those injured. Some of them will be transported to a Moscow hospital.

“The plane is equipped with special medical modules that will be used for the transportation of badly injured citizens of Kyrgyzstan for medical treatment in Moscow,” the Russian Emergencies Ministry's spokeswoman told Itar-Tass.

European security researcher Alibek Mukambaev thinks Russia should restrict its role to diplomacy.

“Moscow's involvement should not be a direct military one. It should be a diplomatic effort, as it is at the moment. It could also include some advising or mediation to help reduce the psychological reaction of the conflict around the world,” Mukambaev told RT.

Irina Zvyagelskaya from the Oriental Studies Institute at Russia's Academy of Sciences also believes Russia should not send its forces to Kyrgyzstan.

“I don’t think that it would be wise on the part of Russia just to introduce its peacekeepers because tomorrow we will be accused of new imperialism, and of taking advantage of the situation in Kyrgyzstan. The best thing is bringing in collective peacekeepers who would be granted the UN mandate. I don’t know if this option will be implemented. Still, Russia needs to hold consultations with the other members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.”

The role Russia would prefer to play is not to move its troops in, and that is why Russia is so reluctant to give any promises right now, political analyst Dmitry Babich told RT.

“Russia’s role is to be a negotiator between all the political forces in the country, responsible and maybe even irresponsible ones, because right now the survival of the country is at stake,” the analyst explained.

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