11 security officials and 149 protesters killed during protests in Almaty

In Almaty, amid protests caused by rising fuel prices, 11 security officials and 149 protesters were killed, informed Kanat Taimerdenov, head of the city police department.

Also, according to Taimerdenov, over 1.3 thousand weapons were stolen during the protests.

“At the same time, in different parts of the city, numerous groups of “militants” fired at police squads and began to plunder the city. Other groups of “terrorists” almost simultaneously seized seven weapons stores, where they took possession of weapons and ammunition,” he explained, continuing to call the protesters terrorists.

Recently it became known that a Russian woman died during protests in the city of Taraz, Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan. The Embassy appealed to the leadership of the region “with a request to take control of the situation and provide possible assistance to the family of the deceased.”

In the first days of 2022, protests began in Kazakhstan due to higher fuel prices. The rallies ended in clashes with the security forces, who used stun grenades and then military weapons. Against the backdrop of protests, during the suppression of which died hundreds of people, the current president of the country, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, removed ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev from the post of chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan.

On January 5, Tokayev turned to the leaders of the CSTO countries for help “in overcoming the terrorist threat.” Already on the night of January 6, it became known about the decision of the CSTO Council to send peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan. They included units of the armed forces of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.