Live Updates: CSTO Will Not Allow 'Colour Revolutions' in Region, Putin Warns

The United Nations closely monitors the reports about almost 8,000 people having been detained in Kazakhstan by police and urges that those arrested are treated with justice, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry said 7,939 people were detained throughout the country since the mass protests erupted in the early days of 2022.

"We're obviously continuing to follow these developments. It is important that whether there or in any other place, people who are detained be afforded justice, international norms," Dujarric said.

Mass protests erupted in Kazakhstan last week over a twofold hike in fuel prices. In light of the violence that followed, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a nationwide state of emergency, effective until January 19, and invited the Collective Security Treaty Organization peacekeeping forces to help bring the situation under control.

Almost 1,000 people were injured, the United Nations said. According to the country's Interior Ministry, 17 law enforcers were killed.

On Friday, the Kazakh president said that there were still militants who continued resistance and pledged to fight those who did not lay down their arms. At the same time, Tokayev said that the government had reached a compromise with peaceful protesters on urgent social and economic issues.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, discussed the situation in Kazakhstan during a phone conversation on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The ministers similarly assess the events in Kazakhstan, stressed their concern about the intervention of external forces, including the participation of foreign mercenaries in attacks on civilians and law enforcement officials, the seizure of state institutions and other objects," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry mentioned that Wang positively assesses measures taken by the Collective Security Treaty Organization in response to Kazakhstan’s request for assistance.

"It was noted that the decisive actions of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were timely and proportionate amid the scale of the threat the republic faced," the ministry, adding that both ministers have expressed confidence that peace will return to Kazakhstan.

Internet is inaccessible across the whole of Kazakhstan on Monday, including in its capital Nur-Sultan, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Access to the internet has been often restricted in the Central Asian country during mass protests that turned violent in early January.

Social media messaging applications have also been affected.

Protests erupted in Kazakhstan earlier in the month over a twofold hike in fuel prices. In light of the violence that followed, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a nationwide state of emergency, effective until January 19, and invited the Collective Security Treaty Organization peacekeeping forces to help bring the situation under control.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Monday that he discussed the situation in Kazakhstan with European Council Charles Michel and informed him that security forces of his country never used force against peaceful protests.

"Productive conversation with @eucopresident Charles Michel today. Updated on situation in #Kazakhstan. We faced unprecedented act of aggression and assault on our statehood, and took urgent measures to restore constitutional order and rule of law. We never used and will not use armed force against peaceful protesters. All such allegations are false. #Kazakhstan will continue to strengthen partnership with EU," Tokayev tweeted.

“We express our deepest condolences to the families of innocent victims who have lost lives in the violence. As a close and friendly partner of Kazakhstan, we look forward to an early stabilisation of the situation," the Indian foreign ministry said on Monday. The ministry also advised Indians to follow guidelines issued by local authorities and remain in touch with the Indian Embassy.

The events in Kazakhstan have made it clear that social networks do both good and evil, and their negative impact must be stopped, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"Obviously, social networks, apart from the good, also do evil. The aim is to take measures to stop this evil. This story is not new, it is old. It just found its obvious relevance once again in the course of recent events in Kazakhstan," Peskov told journalists answering a question about the role of the internet in the Kazakh unrest.

Asked if the Russian government plans to introduce any social media regulations given Kazakhstan's experience, Peskov replied "there is nothing like that right now."

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the violence that has occurred in Kazakhstan and expressed condolences over the death of Kazakh nationals during recent riots.

"The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine is closely following the development of the situation in Kazakhstan. We condemn the violence that broke out in a number of Kazakh cities and led to numerous victims. We express our condolences in connection with the death of Kazakh citizens, with whom Ukrainians have long-term ties of friendship and mutual respect," the ministry said in a statement.

It is strange to hear that the United States does not understand what is going on in Kazakhstan, Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, said on Monday.

"Although, of course, it was strange to hear from … the US Secretary of State or a White House official that they do not understand what is happening in Kazakhstan and do not understand why Kazakhstan made such decisions. It's amazing, they usually always understand everything," Zakharova told Channel One Russia.

The spokeswoman mentioned that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev explained how extremists undermined the peaceful protests with evidence during the Monday CSTO meeting and Washington can no longer "hide behind" their lack of understanding of the situation.

Kyrgyzstan hopes that there will be an open and fair investigation into the involvement of foreigners, including Kyrgyz citizens, in protests in Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov said on Monday.

"Recently, the media and social networks have seen the spread of information regarding foreign citizens, including Kyrgyz citizens, about their involvement in pogroms and riots. let me express my request and hope that for each confirmed case there will be an open and fair investigation," Japarov said during an extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) had topped international terrorists in Kazakhstan and would remain in the country as long as needed.

"A contingent of collective peacekeeping forces of the CSTO has been sent to Kazakhstan and, I want to emphasize this, for a limited period of time, for as long as the president of Kazakhstan, the head of state, ... finds possible to use it," Putin said during an extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council.

He added that CSTO peacekeepers had entered Kazakhstan in accordance with Article 4 of the 1992 Collective Security Treaty, which says that an act of aggression against one state party is considered as aggression against all states parties.

In addition, the Russian president noted that the CSTO forces prevented the undermining of the basis of the state power in Kazakhstan, the complete degradation of the internal situation in the country and topped international terrorists.

"We have been observing [in Kazakhstan] precisely the aggression of international terrorism," Putin stressed.

He also noted that these gangs of armed people had been trained in foreign centers and clearly had experience in military operations in hot spots of the planet.

Putin added that the CSTO forces would certainly withdraw from Kazakhstan after fulfilling their functions.

However, the country's health ministry told the Kazakh media Vlast that it had never provided such data.

The number of security officials killed as a result of the unrest in Kazakhstan has increased to 17, the interior ministry told Sputnik on Monday.

"There are already 17 people," the authority said.

Most airports in Kazakhstan are operating normally, with the exception of the airports of Almaty and Taldykorgan, Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development said on Monday.

"All airports of the Republic of Kazakhstan are operating normally, with the exception of Almaty airport and Taldykorgan airport," the ministry said in a statement.

So far, 19 international flights are scheduled for Monday to the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan.

The operation of the airports of Almaty and Taldykorgan is expected to resume once the situation in the country is stabilized.

More than 1,500 people have been brought to justice in Kazakhstan for violating the state of emergency, the presidential office said on Monday.

"In general, more than 1,500 people across the country were brought [to justice] for violating the state of emergency," the office said on a statement.

Over $215 million worth of material damage resulted from violent protests across Kazakhstan as of Monday morning, according to a conservative estimate released by the Kazakh National Atameken Chamber of Entrepreneurs.

"As of 09:00 a. m. [03:00 GMT] on January 10, the total amount of the damage estimated, on a rough calculation, more than 93.7 billion tenge [$216 million] (in Almaty - 92.2 billion tenge)," the statement said.

The statement added that a total of 1,319 affected business entities and 1,488 objects were detected in nine regions of Kazakhstan, with 1,234 entities and 1,399 facilities in Almaty.

"The industries of the affected business entities are: trade - 1,245; public catering - 25; financial sector - 37; logistics - 9; mass media - 2," according to the statement.

The situation in Kazakhstan has been stabilized and is under control, the hotbeds of terrorist threats have been neutralized, the National Security Committee said on Monday.

"As of January 10, 2022, the situation in Kazakhstan has been stabilized and is under control. The hotbeds of terrorist threats have been neutralized ... All administrative facilities seized by terrorists in the cities of Almaty, Kyzylorda, Taldykorgan and Taraz were released. The security of especially important strategic objects and places of storage of weapons, ammunition has been ensured," the authority said in a statement.

The number of people detained during the mass unrest in Kazakhstan since early 2022 has reached 7,939, the country’s interior ministry said on Monday.

"A total of 7,939 persons were detained throughout the country. Law enforcement officers, together with members of the National Guard and special forces in Almaty, detained 207 people at 2 markets. Five stolen cars, stolen inventory items, two units of smooth-bore and four cold weapons were seized," the ministry said in a statement, as quoted on the government's Telegram.

Only local special forces are taking part in the counter-terrorist operation in Kazakhstan, State Secretary Erlan Karin said on Monday.

"Only the Kazakh special forces - Arystan, Arlan, Berkut, as well as the forces of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which are clearing out terrorist groups and criminal formations, are involved in the counter-terrorist operation itself. Therefore, the decision to call in the CSTO peacekeeping contingent is aimed primarily at protecting the sovereignty and strengthening the integrity of Kazakhstan," Karin said on his Telegram channel.

He added that the peacekeepers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will only be helping with protecting vital facilities in some regions.

The situation in the Kazakh city of Almaty is gradually returning to normal and the city authorities are working closely with the anti-terrorism center, the mayoral office said.

"The measures taken have gradually normalized the life of the city. All that is needed from us is calmness, endurance and understanding," the office of Bakytzhan Sagintayev, the akim (mayor) of Almaty, said on Monday, adding that dozens of supermarkets and over 100 pharmacies are now working as usual.

A Sputnik correspondent reported on Monday that internet connection was finally restored in Almaty and some other Kazakh regions after about three days of disruptions.