Government says situation in Kazakhstan has 'stabilized'


Officials from Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry announced Sunday that the situation in the Central Asian country has "stabilized" and that all government buildings have been secured, Reuters reported.
According to The Washington Post, the government is also attempting, without evidence, to blame the attacks on foreign terror groups and to push back against what they call the "false impression that the Kazakhstan government has been targeting peaceful protesters." President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told soldiers to "shoot to kill without warning" during a televised address Friday.
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, which remains closed. At least 26 demonstrators and 18 law enforcement officers were killed, and more than 5,000 people have reportedly been detained.
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.
Kazakhstan remains under an internet blackout.
Authorities also announced that several "strategic facilities have been transferred under the protection of the united peacekeeping contingent of the [Collective Security Treaty Organization] member states," a contingent made up mostly of Russian troops.
Observers have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the unrest in Kazakhstan as an opportunity to expand Russian power over the former Soviet republic. "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.
Kazakh authorities announced Saturday that Karim Massimov, a former two-time prime minister and until recently head of the country's counterintelligence agency, had been arrested and charged with high treason.
Massimov was seen as a close ally of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the authoritarian leader who ruled Kazakhstan from its independence in 1991 until 2019 and remained influential behind the scenes even after stepping down. Tokayev, who came to power as Nazarbayev's chosen successor, removed Nazarbayev from his chairmanship of Kazakhstan's Security Council on Wednesday.
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.
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
-
Crossword: July 13, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
Is the Trump-Putin bromance over... again?
Today's Big Question The US president has admitted he's 'p*ssed off' with his opposite number
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress