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Putin says Moscow-led forces in Kazakhstan for 'limited' time
"A contingent of CSTO peacekeeping forces has been sent to Kazakhstan -- and I want to emphasize this -- for a limited time period," Putin said during a meeting of leaders from ex-Soviet countries, during which he added that Kazakhstan had been targeted by "international terrorism" and vowed that Russia would not allow "revolutions" in the region.
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This handout image grab taken and released by the Russian Defence Ministry on January 8, 2021 shows Belarus' paratroopers unboarding a military cargo plane after landing in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan's president has rejected calls for talks with protesters after days of unprecedented unrest, vowing to destroy (AFP/Russian Defence Ministry)
R
ussian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that a Moscow-led military detachment deployed to counter unrest in Kazakhstan would remain in the Central Asian country for only a "limited" period.
"A contingent of CSTO peacekeeping forces has been sent to Kazakhstan -- and I want to emphasize this -- for a limited time period," Putin said during a meeting of leaders from ex-Soviet countries, during which he added that Kazakhstan had been targeted by "international terrorism" and vowed that Russia would not allow "revolutions" in the region.
Over the weekend, Russia responded angrily to a comment by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Kazakhstan might have a hard time getting rid of Russian troops, saying he should reflect instead on US military meddling around the world.
Blinken on Friday challenged Russia's justification for sending forces into Kazakhstan after days of violent unrest in the Central Asian country.
"One lesson of recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave," Blinken said.
Russia's foreign ministry called Blinken's remark "typically offensive" and accused him of joking about tragic events in Kazakhstan. It said Washington should analyse its own track record of interventions in countries such as Vietnam and Iraq.
"If Antony Blinken loves history lessons so much, then he should take the following into account: when Americans are in your house, it can be difficult to stay alive and not be robbed or raped," the ministry said on its Telegram social media channel.
Earlier on Monday, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described days of historic unrest in his Central Asian country as a coup attempt and vowed his security services would never shoot peaceful protesters.
"Armed militants who were waiting in the wings joined the protests. The main goal was obvious: the undermining of the constitutional order, the destruction of government institutions and the seizure of power. It was an attempted coup d'etat", he said.
Ex-Soviet Kazakhstan has been left reeling in the wake of unprecedented unrest that erupted earlier this month in the midst of protests over a fuel price hike in the west of the country.
Dozens have been killed in the unrest and the interior ministry said earlier Monday that nearly 8,000 people had been detained in operations executed by several branches of the security services.
During a meeting with the leaders of other former Soviet countries, Tokayev said his security forces would not shoot protesters rallying peacefully.
"We have never fired and will never fire on peaceful demonstrators," he said.
During the unrest, the Moscow-led CSTO military alliance sent a detachment of 2,500 troops to the country following a request from Tokayev.
The Kazakh president said on Monday, during a meeting with leaders of CSTO countries -- including Russian leader Vladimir Putin -- that the Russian-led mission in Kazakhstan would end "soon".
