Violent protests in Kazakhstan: Moscow calls for normalization of situation through dialogue, says Russian Foreign Ministry

The moment of greatest tension was experienced in the country’s ancient capital, Almaty, as angry mobs attacked the administration building and the former presidential residence on this day, causing fires to break out at the regional government headquarters and government buildings. Prosecutor’s Office and State Channel of Kazakhstan.

Demonstrators also took control of Almaty International Airport, destroying the terminal and duty-free shop. Major Russian airline Aeroflot has canceled its flight to the city from Moscow scheduled for tonight.

The first published photos of the consequences of sabotage at Kazakhstan’s Almaty airport show losses in the millions, mainly public and private property.

The city itself is a mess, looted shops and burned cars, not just the police. There are also many masked gunmen. A very difficult situation develops in Atyrau, as the mob captured a police unit and confiscated the weapons stored there.

In Atyrau itself, a protester died of a gunshot wound to the head, and this news is actively disseminated by opposition resources.

Almaty police stated that the demonstrators burned 120 cars, including 33 police cars, and destroyed 120 shops, 180 restaurants and cafes and about a hundred offices.

Amid the protests, locals set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the city, stopping military vehicles and forcing troops to remove their clothes, while people gathered in the central square to pray and sing. There is a curfew throughout Kazakhstan between 23:00 and 7:00 in the morning.

The operator Kazakhstantelecom has cut off the Internet throughout the country, although there are reports that access is gradually being restored in various regions, including Aktau and Almaty.

Media reports said police officers were orderly expelling protesters from central Pavlodar Square, without using excessive force but firmly.

Security forces were able to suppress the unrest in Pavlodar and the situation gradually stabilized.

A distinctive feature of these “color revolutions” is that the initial demands completely disappear and then lead to senseless riots where government buildings and police are targeted. It happened in Ukraine, Belarus, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, as well as in Cuba.