Russia-led bloc completes Kazakhstan pullout
What you need to know:
- The Russian defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies that four military planes carrying the remaining troops had departed from the capital Nur-Sultan and Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty.
Moscow. A Russia-led military contingent completed its withdrawal from Kazakhstan after unprecedented unrest in the Central Asian state, Russian agencies reported on Wednesday, citing the head of the military bloc's mission.
"The peacekeeping operation carried out in accordance with the decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been completed," said Russia's Andrei Serdyukov, who headed the mission of the six-member military bloc led by Moscow.
Troops from the bloc that includes ex-Soviet states Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia began arriving on January 6 following an invitation from Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The withdrawal began on Thursday.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies that four military planes carrying the remaining troops had departed from the capital Nur-Sultan and Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty.
"These four aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defence will return home the last peacekeeping units and the command of the peacekeeping contingent led by Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov," the statement said.
The withdrawal comes on the same day that Kazakhstan ended states of emergency across the country after peaceful protests over a New Year energy price increase escalated into violence that authorities blamed on bandits and "terrorists" and said have left 225 people dead.
