"At a critical moment ... the President of Kazakhstan used legitimate procedures," Zakharova said as aired by Russian Rossiya 1 broadcaster, adding that CSTO states gave a timely and unanimous response.
Earlier on Sunday, the head of the CSTO mission in the country, Col. Gen. Andrey Serdyukov said that the peacekeeping mission of the organisation completed relocation to Kazakhstan.
A wave of protests swept across Kazakhstan earlier this week, following a sharp rise in gas prices. Despite the government's attempts to quell the discontent and promises to bring the prices down, protests turned violent and descended into clashes with law enforcement officers in several regions.
The government declared a state of emergency until 19 January. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked for the Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) assistance, which was granted. CSTO peacekeepers were sent to Kazakhstan.