Russia is committed to its obligations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in Moscow. “We see the recent events in a friendly country as an externally inspired attempt to violently undermine the security and integrity of the state through the use of trained and organized armed formations.” The US had already rejected reports of possible entanglements.
Internet problems limit independent reports
In the meantime, the websites of the Kazakh media could not be reached from abroad either. Reports are difficult to independently review. For a long time, the authorities were reluctant to provide official information. At first it was still unclear how many civilian casualties there had been so far. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 1,000 people were injured. 400 were taken to hospitals. Of these, 62 would have to be treated in intensive care units.
The main focus of the riots is the economic metropolis of Almaty in the south-east of the country. Pictures in the news channel Telegram showed, for example, the city administration, which was severely damaged by flames. Videos from the capital Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana), on the other hand, showed normal everyday life.
The government tried, however, to calm the heated mood with price caps. For the next 180 days this should apply to gasoline, diesel and liquid gas, it said. In addition, the winter holidays at schools have been extended to January 17th. (DPA)