President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev. Archival photo NUR-SULTAN, January 9 President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev instructed to create a government commission to eliminate the consequences of the riots, the press service of the head of state said. Tokayev also ordered to promptly start work on the restoration of facilities destroyed as a result of unrest in the country. Mass protests in Kazakhstan began in the early days of 2022 — residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the west of the country opposed a two-fold increase in prices for liquefied gas. Later, the protests spread to other cities, including Alma-Ata, the old capital and the largest city of the republic: looting began there, militants attacked state institutions, took away weapons. In response, the authorities declared a state of emergency across the country until January 19 and launched a counter-terrorism operation. According to the UN, about 1,000 people were injured during the protests in Kazakhstan. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, 16 Kazakhstani security officials were killed, more than 1.3 thousand were injured. On January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev dismissed the government and became the head of the Security Council. At the first meeting of the Security Council under his leadership, Tokayev described the situation in Kazakhstan as undermining the integrity of the state and said that he had asked the CSTO for help «in overcoming the terrorist threat.» The CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan to normalize the situation in the country. On January 7, Tokayev said that terrorists, including those who arrived from abroad, continued to resist, and promised to destroy those who did not lay down their arms. In addition, the President noted that all the demands of citizens, expressed in peaceful forms, were heard. Strategic objects were transferred under the protection of the CSTO contingent
