One of five ex-Soviet nations in the region, Kazakhstan is of crucial importance to Russia as an economic partner and home to a large ethnic Russian population. Tokayev is the chosen successor to Putin ally Nursultan Nazarbayev, a statue of whom was toppled by an angry mob on Thursday. Nazarbayev, 81, is believed to have fled to Russia, with reports saying he was rescued by military plane. A Moscow-led military alliance dispatched troops to help quell mounting unrest in Kazakhstan on ThursdayPictured: Thousands of protesters attend an opposition protest in Minsk, Belarus, October 4 2020. The CSTO's current chairman, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, earlier announced the alliance would agree to the request, saying Kazakhstan was facing 'outside interference'.

Source: The Nation January 07, 2022 00:07 UTC