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The CSTO, the military alliance led by Russia together with former countries of the Soviet orbit, began this January 13 the withdrawal of the more than 2,000 soldiers that it deployed in Kazakhstan at the call of its president due to the protests unleashed after the rise in the price of gas, which shook the government.
The 2,030 soldiers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the military alliance led by Russia, begin their withdrawal from Kazakhstan.
Faced with the wave of protests unleashed last week in the former Soviet country and one of Russia’s main allies, President Kassym Jomart Tokayev requested the assistance of the CSTO to appease what he called “a terrorist threat.” Faced with this call, the alliance deployed a “peace mission” that begins its withdrawal after a week.
“In line with the will expressed by Kazakhstan, the peacekeeping contingent will be withdrawn to its permanent detachments according to the established schedule,” said the Secretary General of the CSTO, Stanislav Zas, during a ceremony at the Military Institute of the Army of Land. Almaty.
The troops, made up of soldiers from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, were fired in Almatí, the country’s largest city and the epicenter of the protests that the president has already considered suppressed. Zas himself, the Kazakh Deputy Defense Minister, Major General Mukhamedzhan Talasov, and the Mayor of Almatí, Bakytzhan Saguintayev, were in charge of the farewell.
A previously announced installment withdrawal
The withdrawal coincides with the end of the government’s anti-terrorist operation in 14 of the country’s 17 regions. Faced with this situation, President Tokayev announced last Tuesday before Parliament that the departure would begin this Thursday in a process that would not take more than 10 days. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, the operation will be completed next Wednesday.
For the time being, Russia has already begun transferring “vital infrastructure” to the Kazakh authorities and “preparing equipment and material for loading onto Russian Aerospace Forces military transport planes and returning to permanent deployment points.”
The Kremlin has already begun to withdraw its troops and plans to charter 14 planes to withdraw the contingent from Armenia, Tajikistan and Belarus. Kyrgyzstan, with 150 troops, confirmed that they will be withdrawn next Friday.
A “quick and successful” operation
For the CSTO, the operation has been a success given the rapid response and fulfillment, they say, of the proposed goals. “The limited time stay of the collective peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan demonstrated the relevance and effectiveness of the CSTO as a prestigious international organization,” Stanislav Zas said.
This is the first foreign operation of this alliance, which, in the words of Vladimir Putin, shows that it will not be allowed to “stir up the situation” in the post-Soviet space. Meanwhile, the Kazakh National Security Committee (NSC) confirmed the success of the mission by raising the red level in the entire country except in the Almati and Zhambyl regions.
The CNS also reported the arrest of two former officials of the agency on charges of abuse of power and attempted coup d’état, arrests that join the former head of the agency Karim Masímov for high treason. The total balance of the protests leaves a figure of around 12,000 detainees and 164 deaths, according to government figures.
With EFE
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