Explained: What is happening in Kazakhstan?

Ground Report | New Delhi: What is happening in Kazakhstan; Fighting continues in Almaty a day after protesters stormed several government buildings. Local media say security forces have evacuated the main square and other key government buildings from protesters, but there are still reports of gunfire in some areas of the city.

What is happening in Kazakhstan

The first unit of the Moscow-led peacekeeping force has arrived in Kazakhstan following a request for assistance from the Kazakh government, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

In the wake of the deteriorating situation, President Qasim Jomart Tokayev on Thursday appealed for military assistance from the Russian-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The organization includes five other former Soviet states. Tokayev called for help in cracking down on "large-scale terrorist groups trained abroad".

Within hours of President Tokayev's appeal, the first unit of the army arrived in Kazakhstan. This includes Russian paratroopers and troops from other CSTO member states. This is the first major joint operation of the CSTO since its inception in 1999.

Russia's foreign ministry said it considered the unrest a "foreign-inspired attempt to ignore Kazakhstan's security and integrity".

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Dozens killed

Dozens of people have been "killed" during overnight clashes with security forces at government buildings in Almaty, according to police in the worst violence ever.

Considered one of the most stable and energy-rich Kazakhstan in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is currently facing its biggest crisis in decades. Massive demonstrations are taking place in most parts of the country against the rise in fuel prices and unrest has spread.

Official fighting is taking place between armed protesters and government forces. According to government officials, 748 security officers were injured and 18 others were killed. Two of them were put on the circuit of security officers.

The Ministry of Interior said police "The routes are moving forward to protest" and so far 2300 people have been arrested. Interior Ministry officials said more than 1,000 people had been injured in the violent protests. About 400 of them have been admitted to hospitals while 62 have been admitted to the ICU.

Burnt cars are scattered on the streets of Almaty. Several government buildings have been reduced to rubble, and bullets have been fired into the grounds of the presidential palace, where protesters stormed and looted on Wednesday.

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Why are demonstrations being held?

Protests in Almaty and the capital, Nursultan Nazarbayev, began on January 1 in response to a new law enacted across the country. According to the law, the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was deregulated and the price of petrol went up sharply. Many people in Kazakhstan use LPG for fuel in their cars. (What is happening in Kazakhstan)

These demonstrations were started from just one area from Sunday, and seeing only seeing these demonstrations were intensified and till Tuesday, most of the major cities of the country began to show midmarks with a large crowd of protesters. The protests turned violent as police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse a large crowd in Kazakhstan's central city and former capital, Almaty.

Prime Minister Askar Maman's government has resigned, and President Qasim Jomart Tokayev has declared a state of emergency in Almaty.

Kazakhstan's National Bank has temporarily suspended all financial institutions and shut down the Internet across the country.

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