Russian troops to begin withdrawal from Kazakhstan following deadly riots


Russian troops will begin leaving Kazakhstan Thursday, The New York Times reports.
In a Tuesday speech, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the withdrawal would take "no more than 10 days," meaning that all Collective Security Treaty Organization troops should out of the country by Jan. 23.
Around 2,500 CTSO troops, mostly Russians, arrived in the country Saturday to help quell riots that engulfed the nation after the government announced an increase in the price of liquified petroleum gas.
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.
If Russian troops do in fact depart, it will assuage the concerns of many who suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might seize the opportunity to permanently increase his country's power over the former Soviet republic.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that "once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave," and Andrew Higgins wrote in The New York Times that "such assistance is seldom offered free of charge."
Protesters, who also aired grievances against Kazakhstan's authoritarian political system, burned the presidential residence and stormed the country's largest airport. At least 26 demonstrators and 18 law enforcement officers were killed, an internet blackout was implemented, and more than 5,000 people were reportedly detained.
A former two-time prime minister was dismissed from his role as intelligence chief and charged with treason, and former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the authoritarian leader who ruled Kazakhstan from its independence in 1991 until 2019 and remained influential behind the scenes, was removed from his powerful position on Kazakhstan's Security Council.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Ukraine-Russia: is peace deal possible after Easter truce?
Today's Big Question 'Decisive week' will tell if Putin's surprise move was cynical PR stunt or genuine step towards ending war
-
What's behind Russia's biggest conscription drive in years?
Today's Big Question Putin calls up 160,000 men, sending a threatening message to Ukraine and Baltic states
-
Is the 'coalition of the willing' going to work?
Today's Big Question PM's proposal for UK/French-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine provokes 'hostility' in Moscow and 'derision' in Washington
-
Russia's spies: skulduggery in Great Yarmouth
In the Spotlight 'Amateurish' spy ring in Norfolk seaside town exposes the decline of Russian intelligence
-
Can Ukraine make peace with Trump in Saudi Arabia?
Talking Point Zelenskyy and his team must somehow navigate the gap between US president's 'demands and threats'
-
Ukraine: where do Trump's loyalties really lie?
Today's Big Question 'Extraordinary pivot' by US president – driven by personal, ideological and strategic factors – has 'upended decades of hawkish foreign policy toward Russia'
-
Is Europe's defence too reliant on the US?
Today's Big Question As the UK and EU plan to 're-arm', how easy will it be to disentangle from US equipment and support?
-
What will Trump-Putin Ukraine peace deal look like?
Today's Big Question US president 'blindsides' European and UK leaders, indicating Ukraine must concede seized territory and forget about Nato membership