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Diplomat blasts ‘mindless, false’ claims of ‘Russian aggression’ in Kazakhstan

The largest riots took place in Almaty where the airport was captured

MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. Claims echoed from all sides that Russia has allegedly turned into ‘an aggressor country" after the CSTO post-Soviet security bloc sent a peacekeeping contingent to Kazakhstan amid a violent insurrection are mindless, callous and false, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"Have we ever attacked anyone or threatened anyone with anything? We are always in favor of peace, offer negotiations, put forward constructive proposals, oppose militarization and constantly help the entire world get out of critical situations and there are plenty of such examples. In spite of this, we hear this mindless, callous and false claim that we are an aggressor country [in the wake of the latest developments in Kazakhstan]," the Russian diplomat said in an interview for the Soloviev-Live YouTube Channel.

"When representatives of NATO countries make these allegations, they are probably paid for that, what’s more, they belong to that [Western] world. But when these claims are made by our people, a question arises: Is this far from being just for nothing? This cannot be just by intuition, can it? If we come to believe that this is the voice of one’s soul, then what kind of a soul is it?" the spokeswoman remarked.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings getting ransacked in several cities a few days later. The ensuing violence left thousands of people injured, with fatalities also being reported. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) requesting assistance from the Russia-led bloc. As a result, peacekeepers have already been deployed to Kazakhstan. Law and order, Kazakh authorities affirm, was restored to all of the country’s regions by the morning of January 7.

The largest riots took place in Almaty where the airport was captured. Law enforcement regained control of the city and the airport, which has not yet restarted its operation and some flights have had to be canceled.