Yesterday, Vladimir Putin sent 2,500 troops into Kazakhstan, a Central Asian giant and resource-rich country that is the ninth largest country in terms of size in the world.
Early reports were that Russia was sending “peacekeeping forces” to quell unrest there. But the truth is that this is likely the beginning of another Russian coup d’etat — one year after the Belarus riots and its takeover by Moscow. This is not about peacekeeping. It’s more likely the beginning of another “occupation”.
The media reported that the protests were riots about high fuel prices. But that’s only partially true.
Demonstrations were also about poverty, tyranny, and systemic corruption.
As an activist website, Open Democracy noted: “As Kazakhstan burns over inequality, the elite’s wealth is safe and sound in London. London is home to some £530 million in luxury property owned by the country’s ruling class [mostly the family of former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev].”
In days, the government resigned, former leader Nazarbayev was removed as chairman of the country’s Security Council, and protesters stormed government administration buildings and took over the capitol’s airport. Kazakh police refused to fire on their civilian population — perhaps out of sympathy — which allegedly led to a request by its President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for Russian troops.
This is clearly another burgeoning pro-democracy movement attempting to remove another corrupt Kremlin puppet, as happened in Ukraine and Belarus. Kazakh protesters wanted lower fuel prices but also demanded free elections and the release of all political prisoners. Also included in their list of demands was that the government condemn military aggression against Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.
This got Putin’s attention.
He cannot afford for Kazakhs to demonstrate to his own Russian people that they can aspire to democracy or reform or justice. He’s also concerned about China’s interest in the country. About 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s populace are Central Asian and only 20 percent Russian. So he sent in armed forces. Some 3,000 are in jail, untold numbers have been shot, and the airport is open again. Its President claims that “law and order” had been restored. If true that means Kazakhstan, for the moment anyway, remains firmly in the hands of the Kremlin.
Diane Francis is Editor at Large with the National Post in Canada, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council, and publisher of Diane Francis on America at https://dianefrancis.substack.com/
