Order ‘mainly restored,’ dozens killed & Baikonur terror threat level raised: Latest developments in Kazakhstan

Constitutional order was “mainly restored” in Kazakhstan on Friday, according to president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. However, the unrest is seemingly far from over, with almost 4,000 people detained and dozens killed.

Mass protests began on January 2, prompted by public discontent with a sharp increase in prices for liquefied petroleum gas. The tensions quickly spread, turning violent in some places, including the largest city, former capital Almaty.

Russia holds talks with CSTO allies
Russian President Vladimir Putin also held talks with member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on Friday. Peacekeepers from Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan were deployed to Kazakhstan earlier this week, with Tokayev saying they would stay “for a limited period of time” to support the local security forces.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense later clarified that the CSTO forces have also been tasked with the protection of important facilities and key infrastructure and were not supposed to participate in “operational and combat” activities. The EU has also offered the bloc's assistance to help resolve the crisis with several countries calling on both the protesters and government forces to refrain from violence.