Russia Moves In As Kazakh Protests Escalate

"MOSCOW -- Russia sent paratroopers to help Kazakhstan's leader stamp out a wave of protests as, further west, President Vladimir Putin of Russia confronts the U.S. and its allies over the future of another former Soviet republic, Ukraine.

Dozens of people were killed in clashes between protesters and Kazakhstan's security forces early Thursday, including 18 law-enforcement officers, Russian state media reported. Initially sparked by a sharp increase in fuel prices at the beginning of year, the protests quickly spiraled into a broader outpouring of frustration with the resource-rich nation's authoritarian leaders. Protesters accuse them of squandering its wealth, including its uranium reserves.

More than 2,000 people were detained as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attempted to regain control of Almaty, the country's largest city, calling in a Moscow-led security alliance for help putting down what he described as a terrorist revolt, a common accusation made by the leaders of former Soviet states.

Mr. Putin deployed paratroopers to Kazakhstan on Thursday, where they have begun operating, according to the Kremlin-led bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The CSTO said it would be joined by troops from members Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for a limited period to stabilize the situation.

"CSTO is only a fig leaf for a Russian operation," a senior Western diplomat said. A weakened Mr. Tokayev would be bound to Russia, the diplomat said, cementing Russia's influence in the region.

It was the first time troops from the bloc had been deployed in such a way, underscoring the importance Mr. Putin places on maintaining stability along the southern edges of the old Soviet Union while attempting to reverse what he says is the West's encroachment on Russia's traditional influence in Ukraine.

The Russian leader has amassed tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine, which is seeking closer ties with the West. Mr. Putin has demanded that the U.S. and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies forswear any attempt to expand eastward toward Russia's borders, in what is turning into a significant security challenge for the Biden administration. Moscow and Washington have agreed to hold talks on the issue next week. At this point, Kazakhstan would likely come up in those meetings only in brief, current and former U.S. officials said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Kazakh counterpart on Thursday, and "reiterated the United States' full support for Kazakhstan's constitutional institutions and media freedom and advocated for a peaceful, rights-respecting resolution to the crisis," a State Department spokesman said.

Washington is closely monitoring the moves of the CSTO troops in Kazakhstan, looking for potential violations of human rights or any efforts by foreign forces to seize control of Kazakh institutions, and the U.S. stands ready to help Kazakhstan with economic and political problems, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Among other factors, U.S. officials are monitoring whether Kazakh and CSTO security forces will quickly corral the unrest, and whether the situation will spill over into other former Soviet republics in the region.

On Wednesday night, authorities ordered people to stay home in Almaty as security forces moved to retake control after a day of violent unrest. In footage shown by Russian state news agencies on Thursday, dozens of troops fired bursts from automatic rifles. It couldn't immediately be determined at what they were shooting. Videos on social media showed violent clashes between protesters and police in riot gear. The internet was blocked and public transport was off the roads, and the streets were largely empty as residents stayed home, locals said.

"Injustice is the root cause," said Valery Mikhailov, a writer and former editor of the Russian language literary-art magazine Prostor. "There is a hopelessness among young people who cannot get an education, cannot get a profession, cannot get a normal job and cannot make a life for themselves. They have no prospects, but they see the elite getting rich. It's social discontent."

The U.S. once hoped to promote democracy in Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan. But its influence has waned and Chinese involvement, particularly through economic investments, has grown.

U.S. oil major Chevron Corp., which owns 50% in the joint venture that runs Kazakhstan's giant Tengiz oil field, on Thursday said it had cut production over logistical issues after protests erupted in the facility.

Crude-oil prices climbed on the back of the protests. Kazakhstan produced about 1.7 million barrels of oil a day in November, according to the International Energy Agency, just under 2% of what the world consumed each day last year.

The biggest move was in uranium prices. The country produces around 40% of the world's uranium output, which it sells to China, the U.S. and other Western countries. A lightly processed form of uranium known as U3O8 rose to $45.75 a pound on Thursday, according to S&P Global Platts. That is up from $45.25 on Wednesday and $42 at the start of the year.

Residents in Almaty described chaotic scenes in recent days, as state power melted away.

"There are gangs of roaming armed youths," said Mr. Mikhailov, the Almaty resident. "In the center of town, shops, clubs, and restaurants have been looted. Many cars have been burned. The internet isn't working. Transport isn't working. People aren't going to work. It's better not to go out onto the street."" [1]

Where are the Lithuanian amateurs (Landsbergiai, Juknevičienė, Kubilius, Nausėda, Grybauskaitė)? By hiding from machine guns behind burned cars in Kazakhstan, they would strengthen their authority as fighters for democracy and prove the toughness of the Lithuanian elite to the Chinese. All issues resolved. Honor to the heroes. 

1.    Russia Moves In As Kazakh Protests Escalate
Simmons, Ann M; Marson, James. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 07 Jan 2022: A.1.