Kazakhstan protests die down as Russian troops enter country and national security chief faces treason charges


Protests in Kazakhstan that left at least 26 demonstrators and 18 law enforcement officers dead gave way to an uneasy calm Saturday as some 2,500 Russian troops arrived in the country, The Washington Post reported.
During a week of unrest kicked off by an increase in the price of liquified petroleum gas, protestors burned the country's presidential residence and stormed its largest airport. Around 4,000 people have been detained.
Kazakh authorities also announced Saturday that Karim Massimov, until recently head of the country's National Security Committee, had been detained on suspicion of high treason, The Associated Press reported. The committee is Kazakhstan's counterintelligence agency, the former Soviet republic's successor to the KGB. Massimov served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2014 to 2016 during the tenure of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the authoritarian leader who ruled Kazakhstan from its independence in 1991 until 2019.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some observers suggest that, by arresting Massimov and calling in Russian troops, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is attempting to escape the shadow of his predecessor, Nazarbayev, who handed the presidency to Tokayev but remained influential behind the scenes. Tokayev removed Nazarbayev from his powerful position as chair of Kazakhstan's Security Council Wednesday.
Melinda Haring of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center described events to NPR as "a coup by the current president, Tokayev, against Nazarbayev, the old president."
Others warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin might seize the opportunity to further expand Russian power over former Soviet territory, a goal he appears to be pursing via his massive troop buildup on the Ukrainian border and his support for Bosnian Serb separatist Milorad Dodik.
"I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Iran's allies in the Middle East and around the world
The Explainer Tehran will look to Middle East proxies and other authoritarian 'Crink' states for backing in its war with Israel
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Youth Demand promises a 'revolution'
The Explainer New protest group picks up Just Stop Oil's mantle and vows to 'build a movement that is going to take control of the British state'
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Is Trump's LA troop deployment about order or authoritarianism?
Talking Points President: 'We're going to have troops everywhere.'
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests