Russia's Foreign Ministry has turned its attention to the recent events in Kazakhstan, criticising the riots as an attempt to undermine the security situation in the Central Asian country.
"We consider the recent events in a friendly country to be a foreign-inspired attempt to use armed and trained groups of people forcibly to undermine the security and integrity of the state", a statement from spokeswoman Maria Zakharova read.
She stressed that Russia is interested in reinstating the status quo in Kazakhstan, and will assist Kazakh authorities in stopping the violence.
Troops are seen in the main square where hundreds of people were protesting against the government, after authorities' decision to lift price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
© REUTERS / MARIYA GORDEYEVA
Previously, Kazakhstan asked other member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) to send their peacekeepers due to violent protests in Almaty and unrest across the country.
The protests, which were originally caused by a two-fold rise in fuel prices, swiftly escalated and led to fatal clashes, as rioters attacked police officers and stormed the mayor's office in Almaty - the most populous city in Kazakhstan.