MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. The Russian Aerospace Forces have evacuated nearly 1,500 Russian citizens from Kazakhstan’s Almaty to Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry told journalists Monday.

"The transport aviation planes delivered a total of 1,461 Russian citizens from the Republic of Kazakhstan to Russia," the Ministry said.

The government agency revealed that on January 9, 1,422 Russian citizens were flown to Moscow, and 14 were airlifted to Yekaterinburg. Previously, 25 Russian tourists who opted to return from Kazakhstan were transported as well.

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 by the morning of January 7. Tokayev declared January 10 a day of national mourning.