Protests in Kazakhstan. Online broadcast: photo and video

The rise in gas prices led to large-scale protests that escalated into clashes. Against this background, the government resigned.

In Kazakhstan, rallies have escalated into riots due to the rise in gas prices. In Almaty, clashes began with the police, the Internet was turned off. Explosions of flash bangs and shots are heard.

A state of emergency has been introduced in Almaty, Almaty and Mangistau regions. A tense situation persists in a number of cities.

The day before, on the night of January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government led by Askar Mamin. Correspondent.net monitors events online.

Protests in Kazakhstan. Text broadcast

14:54 OSCE Chairperson, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde called for de-escalation of the situation in Kazakhstan and the start of a dialogue.

14:51 Protesters in Almaty are storming the building of the Kazakhstan TV channel, a journalist for the Russian edition of Izvestia said from the scene. According to him, hundreds of protesters surrounded the office, the employees of the TV channel locked themselves from the inside.

Demonstrators are trying to break into the building. According to the newspaper, they are also trying to turn off the electricity in the offices of other TV channels. Protesters move cars located next to TV stations and the city administration.

14:40 TV channels began to stop broadcasting – at the moment it is reported that the work of CPC, NTK and the First Channel Eurasia is being reported. The CPC representative said that the television center building was de-energized.

14:35 For some time, the protesters detained the employees of the Russian TV channel Mir24, demanding that they be given a live broadcast. Later, the journalists were released. The protesters destroyed the television equipment, the company said in a statement.

Sputnik also writes that the protesters seized offices on Republic Square in Almaty, where the offices of republican TV channels are located. The editorial offices were destroyed.

14:31 Telegram-channel Ateo Breaking writes that the non-cash payment system has stopped working in Kazakhstan.

14:27 Orda reports that President Tokayev will deliver an address to the nation in the near future. This information is confirmed by the source of RIA Novosti.

14:21 In Almaty, protesters began to erect barricades, according to a Mediazona correspondent. According to him, the protesters are behaving aggressively, some of them are drunk. They prevent journalists from filming.

14:00 The head of the administration of Kostanay (the administrative center of the Kostanay region) Kairat Akhmetov went out to the protesters. One of the protesters told the official that residents were tired of the difficult economic situation in the country.

13:56 The Russian authorities called the situation in Kazakhstan an internal affair. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that “it is important that no one interferes from the outside.”

“We are convinced that our Kazakh friends can independently solve their internal problems,” he said.

13:53 Attacks on gun shops began in Kazakhstan. Corgan Center stated this on its Instagram page, adding that employees cannot get through to the police.

13:51 In Ust-Kamenogorsk, protesters attacked a police officer and tore off his shoulder straps.

13:49 President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that will discuss the end of parliamentary powers and the possibility of holding early national elections.

13:41 The Kazakhtelecom provider turned off the Internet throughout the country. Telegram-channel Ateo reports that telephone communication in Almaty was also cut off.

13:32 In Aktobe, several explosions were heard near the akimat building.

13:25 Kazakh media sites are not available for viewing from abroad.

13:09 Clashes continue in Almaty, demonstrators are burning cars.

13:07 The Kazakh authorities have warned local media and social media users about criminal and administrative liability for disseminating false information during the state of emergency.

13:05 The Zakon.kz edition, citing eyewitnesses, reports that protesters entered the presidential residence in the city of Almaty.

13:03 The security forces began to go over to the side of the protesters. The demonstrators were joined by some fighters of the special rapid reaction unit (SOBR), the footage appeared on Telegram channels. The footage published by the Militarist channel shows that the security forces are marching in the same column with the protesters.

The police partly joined the protesters. The footage posted on the Web shows that the police are not obstructing the protests. In the city of Aktobe, they refused to detain the protesters. The police said that “they are with the people and will not raise [на него] hand “, writes Orda.kz.

12:58 Against the backdrop of mass protests, pogroms were staged in Alma-Ata, and cases of looting were also recorded. The commandant, head of the city police department Kanat Timemerdenov said this in his address to residents, Orda.kz writes.

“Unfortunately, on the night of January 5, extremist groups became active. As a result of their illegal actions, over 120 vehicles were burned, including 33 police cars, ambulances, fire trucks,” Timerdenov said.

According to him, during the riots, “120 shops and trade facilities”, 180 catering establishments and about 100 offices of small and medium-sized businesses were destroyed.

“More than 500 civilians were beaten, including 130 women and old people,” the head of the police department said.

12:56 There is a fire in the building of the residence of the President of Kazakhstan in Alma-Ata, Interfax reports.

“Everything around is in smoke, explosions of stun grenades and shots are heard,” the local Internet portal Vlast reported.

12:48 In Aktau, protesters hijacked a truckload of soldiers.

12:39 Uzbekistan Airways canceled flights to Aktau scheduled for January 5.

“In connection with the closure of the Aktau international airport, regular flights of Uzbekistan Airways HY-9725/9726, which were scheduled for January 5, 2022 on the Urgench – Aktau – Urgench route, have been canceled,” the airline’s press service said.

12:34 KazTag reports that today about ten business jets have already taken off from Kazakhstan. “Elites are fleeing from Kazakhstan to Europe,” the newspaper writes.

12:30 There are reports of the nomination of a large number of military personnel to suppress the protests in Almaty, the KazTAG news agency writes. It does not specify the number of military personnel.

According to Sputnik Kazakhstan, protesters in the city destroyed the building of the Nur Otan (Light of the Fatherland) party in power.

12:28 The residence of the President of Kazakhstan was set on fire in Almaty.

12:20 Several thousand protesters continue to try to break into the territory of the residence of the President of Kazakhstan in Almaty. This was announced by the local Internet portal Vlast.

According to him, the protesters approached from the city administration building, walking along Nazarbayev Avenue. Smoke is visible in the area of ​​the residence, explosions of stun grenades and shots are heard.

12:08 Tokayev introduced a state of emergency in the capital Nur-Sultan from January 5 to 19 “in connection with a serious and immediate threat to the safety of citizens in order to ensure public safety, restore law and order, and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens.”

A curfew has also been introduced – from 23:00 to 07:00.

12:03 The situation in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, where the rallies were held on Tuesday, is calm, Sputnik Kazakhstan reports.

12:02 In the city of Aktobe, water cannons were used against protesters.

12:00 In Almaty, where clashes between police and protesters are taking place, five ambulances were injured, including two drivers and three paramedics. This was reported in the city health department. “The victims were taken to the city hospitals,” they said.

11:55 During the riots in Almaty, five ambulance workers were injured, the city’s health department said.

11:43 According to the Vlast newspaper, several thousand people are trying to break into the territory of the president’s residence in Almaty. Explosions of flash bangs and shots are heard.

11:41 The regional branch of the ruling Nur Otan party caught fire in Almaty, Sputnik Kazakhstan reports.

11:38 The number of victims of clashes near the city administration of Almaty went to dozens, KazTAG reports. According to the newspaper, about 20 soldiers of the National Guard were beaten near the akimat, five of them were carried by colleagues.

Also, the publication reports at least one soldier with a gunshot wound. The publication notes that only one ambulance was able to get to the scene. At the same time, the protesters interfere with the removal of the beaten.

11:32 The building of the prosecutor’s office is on fire in Almaty.

11:30 In Almaty, the Internet was turned off, access to social networks was completely blocked. Almaty residents go to social networks via VPN. There are interruptions in cellular communications in the city.

Explosions and shots rang out tonight and until morning. Almaty residents learn news about what is happening in the country only through local TV channels, a Kommersant correspondent reports.

11:28 A fire started in the building of the city administration of Almaty.

11:25 Shots are heard in the center of Almaty, law enforcement forces have left the square near the city administration, the RIA Novosti correspondent reports.

11:19 The police, restraining the storming of the Almaty akimat, are trying to escape, the protesters are beating them up, an Interfax correspondent reports. Windows and doors were knocked out in the building, people can be heard on the spot, shooting and breaking equipment.

AFP estimates the number of people gathered in the square near the akimat building at one thousand.

11:18 People who resumed protests in Kazakhstan broke into the akimat (administration) of Almaty, according to Zakon.kz. The protesters are armed with pieces of rebar, sticks, shields and, according to the publication’s preliminary information, firearms.

The police inside the building use flash-banging grenades, says Sputnik Kazakhstan.

RIA Novosti reports that shots are heard near the building, black smoke is rising above it.

11:14 In connection with the introduction of a state of emergency in the Mangistau and Alma-Ata regions, as well as in Alma-Ata, the movement of trains in the direction of Makat – Zhem was suspended, the national railway company reported.

“In agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development, the departure of passenger trains from stations Alma-Ata-1, Alma-Ata-2, Mangistau, Atyrau, Aktobe, Nur-Sultan, following through the stations Makat (Atyrau region) and Zhem (Aktobe region) “, – said in a press release.

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