A video showing Russian peacekeepers from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) boarding an aircraft has been published. They are being deployed to Kazakhstan, where they will be assisting the authorities to curb violent riots there.
According to the CSTO, the peacekeepers will be primarily tasked with guarding important state and military facilities.
The joint forces will include peacekeepers from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, and they will be assisting Kazakh authorities since Kazakhstan is also a member of the bloc.
The request from the Kazakh authorities came after a wave of protests turned violent earlier this week. Mass riots engulfed Almaty, as crowds attacked police officers, stormed the mayor's office, the old presidential residence, and set buildings on fire.
At the moment, a counter-terrorist operation is underway in Almaty, while several hundred rioters are gathered in the city centre, preparing for new clashes.