Putin sends army to Kazakhstan to suppress protesters

Riots in Kazakhstan continued to escalate on Thursday, with several victims and thousands of people arrested. Witnesses said they heard explosions and gunfire near the main square in Almaty, following the positioning of Russian-led coalition troops to quell protests and protect buildings.

Police in the main city of Almaty said they had killed dozens of protesters overnight. Authorities said at least 18 members of the security forces had died, including two beheadings. More than 2,000 people were arrested.

According to online media reports, soldiers are also seen shooting at protesters in Kazakhstan. Many injured people are seen in the city hospitals from the clashes of the citizens with the police and the army. Apparently, the state led by the authoritarian regime did not choose the means in order to remain in power.

As reported by The Geopost at the beginning of the protests, this situation will be used by Putin to send alleged peacekeepers, who are in fact Russian soldiers whose mission is to help the Kazakh president stay in power.

The deployment of Russian troops in Kazakhstan carries a risk. By exposing the Kazakh authorities as dependent on Moscow’s muscles, Putin could further provoke protesters.

“They are Cossacks and Tokayev and will try to suppress them with Russian troops. “This will not look great on Moscow,” wrote regional economist Tim Ash on Twitter.

But it is difficult to say how widespread support for the protests could be in a country with a poorly organized opposition, especially if the demonstrators are blamed for the violence.

The first troops of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), began operating in Kazakhstan in the early hours of January 6. The CSTO is based in Moscow and is a military alliance of several states of the former Soviet Union. This alliance was used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to send additional troops, but the goal was not to maintain peace. Putin, in fact, had sent troops to violently suppress the protests.

Russia has also sent troops to Crimea (Ukraine), the war in South Ossetia and Abkhazia (Georgia), as well as troops stationed in Syria, in response to a request by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sent to Putin for military support in the war, for the protection of his regime. Russia’s support for dictators is continuing in order to suppress Western democratic values ​​and use it as a card against the Western world.

On Thursday the internet connection was completely blocked in Kazakhstan, while the banking system was closed for the circulation of money from abroad and vice versa. However, the number of protesters continues to increase every hour.