Russia slams US comments on Kazakhstan unrest
RUSSIA yesterday slammed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as “boorish” for saying Kazakhstan will be saddled with a Russian presence after asking Moscow to send troops to quell unrest.
“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to make a funny joke today about the tragic events in Kazakhstan,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Facebook.
“A boorish attempt, but then again not his first one,” it said, adding that Blinken “ridiculed a totally legitimate response” of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance led by Russia.
Kazakhstan appealed for help from the CSTO to quell unprecedented protests sparked by fuel prices that broke out across the Central Asian country earlier this week.
It is not clear how many troops are being sent in the force – which includes units from ex-soviet states Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – but media in Moscow have said the Russian contingent is expected to number less than 5000.
Military aircraft have been landing in Almaty, where the airport has been closed to civilian flights until today, delivering Russian paratroopers and hardware.
“I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave,” Blinken told reporters on Friday.
“If Antony Blinken is so into history lessons, here’s one that comes to mind: When Americans are in your house, it can be difficult to stay alive, not being robbed or raped,” the foreign ministry said.
It mentioned “unfortunate peoples who had the bad luck to see these uninvited guests at their doorstep” – naming Native Americans, Koreans, Vietnamese and Syrians among others.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan detained the former head of its domestic security agency on suspicion of treason, the agency said yesterday, after he was fired amid unprecedented unrest.
The detention of Karim Masimov, a former prime minister and longtime ally of Kazakhstan’s ex-leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, was the first major move against a top official in the biggest crisis the ex-soviet Central Asian republic has faced in years.
Nazarbayev’s spokesperson meanwhile denied rumours the ex-president had left the country and said he was urging Kazakhs to rally around the government.
Kazakhstan President KassymJomart Tokayev sacked Masimov last week after protests erupted into widespread violence, with protesters storming and setting fire to government buildings in Almaty.
The authorities said on Friday the situation was largely under control, but Tokayev issued a shoot-to-kill order and rejected any negotiations with protesters. An AFP correspondent in Almaty said the city was quiet but tense yesterday, with security forces firing warning shots at anyone approaching a central square.
Masimov, 56, twice served as
Nazarbayev’s prime minister and had been head of the National Security Committee, or KNB, since 2016.
The KNB said that it had launched an investigation into charges of high treason on Thursday and that Masimov had been detained the same day “on suspicion of committing this crime”. It said others had also been arrested.
Tokayev also took over from Nazarbayev this week as head of the country’s security council.
Long seen as one of the most stable of the five ex-soviet republics of Central Asia, Kazakhstan plunged into chaos this week, prompting Tokayev to call in troops from a Moscow-led military alliance.
In a hardline address to the nation on Friday, the president said 20 000 “armed bandits” had attacked Almaty and authorised his forces to shoot to kill without warning.
He ridiculed calls from abroad for negotiations as “nonsense”, saying: “We are dealing with ... bandits and terrorists. So they must be destroyed.”
The initial cause of the protests was a spike in fuel prices but a government move to lower the prices and the sacking of the cabinet failed to stop the protests.
Violence erupted when police fired tear gas and stun grenades at thousands protesting in Almaty late on Tuesday.
The next day protesters stormed government buildings including the city administration headquarters and presidential residence and a nationwide state of emergency was declared.
The interior ministry said 26 “armed criminals” had been killed in the unrest. It said 18 security officers had been killed and more than 740 wounded.
More than 4000 people have been detained, including some foreigners, according to the ministry.
Yesterday, Tokayev’s office said he had declared national day of mourning tomorrow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tokayev held a “lengthy” phone conversation to discuss the situation in Kazakhstan, the Kremlin said yesterday.
Tokayev also thanked the CSTO military alliance and “especially” Russia for its help in quelling the protests.
The two leaders agreed to hold a CSTO video conference meeting in the coming days, the Kremlin said.