MOSCOW, January 6. /TASS/. The security forces on Thursday evening completely cleared the Republic Square in Almaty, which became the epicenter of the unrest in Kazakhstan, from the rioters. According to eyewitnesses, there were injured and killed, but no official information has yet been published.
In the afternoon, the authorities satisfied the initial demands of the protesters and froze the prices of liquefied gas for cars for six months at the level before the sharp rise at the beginning of the month.
The situation in Almaty
A special operation against participants in the riots, who had destroyed a number of important administrative buildings and the airport of Almaty the day before, started on Wednesday evening. According to the latest data, almost 2,300 people were detained.
On Thursday afternoon, people began to gather once again in Republic Square. Closer to 16:00 Moscow time (19:00 local time), shooting started, and at about 19:00 Moscow time (22:00), the authorities announced that the square was completely cleared. Eyewitnesses told TASS about injured and killed during the dispersal of the crowd, but there is still no official data on the number of people killed or injured.
The Almaty police said that on Thursday night, while repelling attempts to storm the administrative buildings, "dozens of attackers" were eliminated, and in the afternoon the department reported that they had repulsed an attack on the Almaty district police department, as a result of which ‘the terrorists were killed".
During the riots, 18 security officials were killed, almost 750 were injured, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan.
The situation in the country
In the rest of Kazakhstan, the situation is reported to be stable or stabilizing. In particular, protesters left the central square of Aktau, the administrative center of the Mangystau region, where the protests began.
In the meantime, the first units from the main forces of the Russian peacekeepers arrived in Kazakhstan. A peacekeeping company of an airborne brigade of special operations forces was sent from Belarus to the republic, Tajikistan allocated a battalion of mobile troops.
At the same time, foreign airlines continue to cancel flights to Kazakhstan. Aeroflot suspended ticket sales for flights scheduled for the next two weeks, and S7 will not sell tickets for its flights or for flights in partnership with Air Astana through January 23.
Freezing prices
The government of Kazakhstan also froze prices for liquefied gas for cars at the level of 50 to 75 tenge (11 to 17 cents) per liter for 180 days, depending on the region. The authorities also approved a one-year deferral for the transfer of trade in this fuel to electronic platforms. At the beginning of the month, this new principle of selling fuel has led to a twofold increase in its price - from 50-60 to 100-120 tenge per liter.
In addition, the authorities froze the prices of gasoline and diesel fuel, introduced a moratorium on raising utility tariffs, and banned exports of large and small livestock and vegetables to stabilize food prices.
International community
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow views the events in Kazakhstan as "an attempt, inspired from the outside, to violently, using trained and organized armed formations, to undermine the security and integrity of the state".
On Thursday, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was contacted by a number of foreign leaders - his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Emomali Rahmon. They expressed support for the country’s leadership.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a conversation with the acting Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi reaffirmed Washington's support for constitutional institutions and freedom of the media and supported a peaceful settlement of the crisis with respect for human rights.
The European Union expressed its readiness to help Nur-Sultan in resolving the crisis. At the same time, Brussels called on peacekeepers to support the sovereignty and independence of Kazakhstan.