MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. Russia comprehends that the danger to Kazakhstan was sparked not by popular acts of protest, but by external and internal destructive forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"We understand that the threat against Kazakhstan’s statehood was not caused by popular acts of protest against fuel prices, but because this situation was used by destructive forces from outside and inside the country," Putin said speaking at the extraordinary session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
"Those who were protesting the gas market situation are one group and they pursued their own goals, but those, who resorted to taking up arms and attacking the government, are a totally different group with different aims," Putin continued.
The Russian president described the turbulence in Kazakhstan as very serious and alarming, having noted that it concerns every CSTO member state. Putin said he believes that the strife, which Kazakhstan encountered, was an unprecedented challenge to the country’s security, integrity and sovereignty.
According to Putin, Kazakhstan came up against well-known ‘Maidan’ technologies involving a strong-arm information crusade supporting the insurrection.
"Elements of a strong-arm informational support of protests, similar to ‘Maidan’ technologies, were actively employed, just like well-organized and controlled groups of militants, who were mentioned by President [of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev], and who possibly underwent training at terrorist camps abroad," Putin noted.
The Russian leader agreed with Tokayev’s statement that Kazakhstan was subjected to aggression during the course of the recent unrest.
"Kassym-Jomart [Tokayev] stated earlier that their attack on Kazakhstan - and it was in fact an attack on the country - was an act of aggression. I completely agree with this," Putin added.
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 multitudes 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.