The aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) of the Russian Federation delivered a total of 2,241 Russian and foreign citizens from Kazakhstan to Russia. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday, January 13.
The Russians returned to their homeland arrived in Alma-Ata for tourist purposes, to visit relatives or to celebrate the New Year. As a result of the protests in the country, which escalated into riots, the international airport “Almaty” stopped working, and the visitors were forced to wait for the resolution of the situation in the hotels of the city.
When the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) were brought into Kazakhstan, the Russians were able to appeal to the leadership of the Russian peacekeepers with a request to help them return to Russia.
So, on January 12, the fourth aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces delivered 146 Russians from Kazakhstan to Moscow, the previous one – 86. On January 11, two aircraft arrived from Alma-Ata to Moscow, each of them carrying 145 Russians. The Ministry of Defense then stressed that the export of Russian citizens “will continue until the task is completed.”
On January 2, protests began in Kazakhstan due to the rise in prices for liquefied gas. In some cities, rallies escalated into riots. The situation has become especially aggravated in the largest city of the country – Alma-Ata. The protesters, among whom, according to the authorities, were extremists, broke into the administration building, set fire to the prosecutor’s office, the office of the ruling party and seized the presidential residence.
On January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that he had turned to the CSTO (which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia) for help in overcoming the terrorist threat. All the CSTO countries responded to the request, they sent collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan and took under protection a number of strategic facilities.
On January 10, Tokayev announced the restoration of constitutional order in Kazakhstan. He noted that the anti-terrorist operation will be completed in the near future. The next day, he said that the withdrawal of CSTO troops from Kazakhstan would begin in two days, the peacekeepers would completely leave the country in 10 days.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
