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.