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Six Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft ready to evacuate citizens from Almaty on January 12

The number of evacuation flights to Moscow tomorrow will depend on how many people would like to return to their homeland, a source in the Russian peacekeeping contingent noted

ALMATY, January 12. / TASS /. Some six Russia’s Ilyushin Il-76 airplanes will be reserved for the evacuation of Russian citizens from the Almaty airport on January 12, a source in the Russian peacekeeping contingent told TASS.

"As of January 12, we have reserved six [Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft] for evacuating citizens," the source noted. "The number of [evacuation] flights to Moscow tomorrow will depend on how many people would like to return to their homeland."

On average, the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft can accommodate up to 145 passengers.

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 scores 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.