Servicemen from the Russian contingent of the CSTO peacekeeping forces during the protection of CHPP-3 in Alma-Ata. Archive photoMINSK, Jan 15President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan «down to the details» was developed by him and Russian President Vladimir Putin. «I will say more, without boasting: this entire operation, down to the details, was developed by two presidents — Russia and Belarus — within one hour,» Lukashenka said on Saturday at a meeting with the Belarusian peacekeeping contingent, which completed its mission in Kazakhstan. His words are quoted by the official website of the President of Belarus.The organizers of the rebellion in Kazakhstan wanted to weaken Russia, Lukashenka said. He noted that a plan had been outlined, the defense ministries of the two countries detailed the plan of the two presidents in the general staffs, and «in a few hours the first planes flew to Kazakhstan.» «Everything was done quickly and decisively, without hesitation,» Lukashenka stressed. Mass protests in Kazakhstan began in the first days of 2022 — residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the west of the country opposed the doubling of 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 throughout the country until January 19 and launched a counter-terrorism operation. According to the UN, during the protests in Kazakhstan, about 1,000 people were injured. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, 17 Kazakh security officials were killed, more than 1.3 thousand were injured. On the morning of January 5, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the government and headed 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 for help from the CSTO «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 the terrorists, including those who had 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. On Thursday, January 13, the successful completion of the CSTO mission was announced, now the peacekeepers are returning from Kazakhstan.
Lukashenko spoke about the terrorist groups that attacked Kazakhstan
