After settling the unrest in Kazakhstan: Russian troops move out in a phased manner in 2 days

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced on Tuesday that a group of Russian-led military would leave the unstable Central Asian country in two days, with the withdrawal taking no longer than ten days.

In a videoconference call aired live to the government and parliament, the 68-year-old president vowed to implement reforms, control inflation, and raise salaries as the energy-rich post-Soviet country struggles to recover from the worst bloodshed in its recent history.

In a videoconference call aired live to the government and parliament, the 68-year-old president vowed to implement reforms, control inflation, and raise salaries as the energy-rich post-Soviet country struggles to recover from the worst bloodshed in its recent history.

Kazakhstan and Russia have characterized last week’s turbulence in the west of the nation, which erupted from a nonviolent demonstration over an energy price rise and left dozens dead, as a coup attempt aided by foreign “terrorists,” but have shown little proof to back up their allegation.

The Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) dispatched soldiers to restore order and support the authorities after receiving a request from Tokayev.

Tokayev declared on Tuesday that “a gradual pullout” will start in two days and last “no more than ten days.”

“The CSTO peacekeeping forces’ core objective has been fulfilled satisfactorily,” he stated.

Last week, at the height of the crisis, the CSTO mission of more than 2,000 troops was dispatched after violent battles between government opponents and security officials, as well as a looting spree, turned areas of Almaty’s major city nearly unrecognizable.

The CSTO’s decision to send soldiers as peacekeepers was a first for the organization, which is often compared to NATO but has historically been hesitant to intervene in disturbances in Central Asia, a region with deep historical links to Russia.

“Once Russians are in your house, it is often quite difficult to convince them to leave,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week.