More than 2,000 Russia-led troops yesterday began withdrawing from Kazakhstan after being deployed when peaceful protests over an energy price hike turned into unprecedented violence claiming dozens of lives.
The decision to dispatch peacekeepers was a first for the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), often touted by Russia as a NATO equivalent, but previously reluctant to interfere in unrest in central Asia — a region with long historical ties to Russia.
At a ceremony marking the end of the CSTO mission, soldiers lined up as anthems from each of the six CSTO member countries were played before official speeches began.
“The peacekeeping