MOSCOW, January 5. /TASS/: Moscow is closely monitoring the developments in Kazakhstan, no casualties have been reported on the Russian side so far, the Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday.
"We are closely following the developments in Kazakhstan. There is no data relating to any casualties on the Russian side," the statement reads.
On January 2, crowds took to the streets in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangistau region, protesting against high fuel prices. Two days later, the protests engulfed Almaty, where the police used flashbangs to disperse the crowd, as well as other cities, including Atyrau, Aktobe, Uralsk, Taraz, Shymkent, Kyzylorda, Karaganda and even Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. The president imposed a two-week state of emergency and a curfew in the country’s largest city of Almaty and the southwestern Mangistau Province early on Wednesday. The head of the state also accepted the government’s resignation. Its members will continue to perform their tasks until a new cabinet is formed.
According to some online videos, the clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers resumed in Almaty on Wednesday. The commandant’s office stated that the law enforcement agencies were fighting against extremism to ensure law and order, asking people to avoid visiting public places.
