Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has promised an uncompromising crackdown on protesters in the country and has told security forces that they must “use deadly force without warning” against protesters whom he called “bandits and terrorists “. The Interior Ministry said 26 protesters were killed in the clashes, as well as 18 people from police and security forces. Earlier on Friday, government figures insisted that security forces had the situation under control across the country, including in Almaty. The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian peacekeepers were protecting key infrastructure sites. The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the situation in Kazakhstan with Tokayev in several phone calls.

Source: The Guardian January 09, 2022 00:42 UTC