is down there, and these are the top stories authorities and calls exxon saying above detained. the former national security chief on suspicion of treason of the days of violent protest. because our president has told russia's leader that the situation is stabilizing, that what he described as attacks were ongoing. robin forest there walker explains the significance of the former security chiefs detention his departure today really cement this idea that catch him jaw much so kaya the president is, is purging the government. this system, the elite, of all those figures who owed allegiance to the former president nozzle turned as a buyer. but it's really quite an extraordinary picture. and it difficult to explain in a nick, but inside an enigma why this would, would have happened. but this only explains the dog nature of cassock, politics, internal politics. at least 56 people have reportedly been killed in an air strike and ethiopia, northern to gray, region aid workers say the strike header camp for internally displaced people in the town of de debit. now the air train border at least 22 people have died in northern pakistan of being stranded in their cars in a snow storm. many had ignored warnings, advising them not to go outside. south african president, cyril rama porter. this is governing african national congress party needs to be renewed and rebuilt. he was speaking during the celebration of the agencies, 110 anniversary india has recorded more than 140000 new daily cove. at 19 cases, a new 7 month high. it's capital new delhi, as among the worst hit region, and is currently under curfew. well, as the headlines to stay with us here on al jazeera back stays inside, so see soon, bye. ah, calm returns to kazakhstan after days of violent protests. the president says, the situation is stable, thanks to russian lead troops. what will moscow gain from the intervention? and what happens now to the cause of people's calls for political change? this is inside story. ah, hello and welcome to the program. i'm a hammer, jim jom, kazakhstan cities appear to be calm for now after days of violent protest triggered by high fuel prices. the issue ignited people's longstanding grievances against equality, corruption, and lack of democracy in the former soviet state. the government called the protesters terrorists and asked a russian lead military alliance to help stop the unrest. president cassandra omar took hi of thanked rushes, vladimir putin for sending 2500 soldiers. the troops are from the regional collective security treaty organization. the leaders also discussed holding a video conference with other members of the block to kaya has ordered cars like security forces to shoot without warning, and authorities have arrested the former national security chief on suspicion of treason al jazeera is robin forest de walker is monitoring developments from tbilisi in georgia, the rest of kerry must be moved. the head of the security services is a very significant development has ex dog because my seem of was an associate of the former president no time as a buyer. who is officially yo by the leader of the nation in kazakhstan, this kind of jewel authority that has confused perhaps many cars, x over the years since i came to power now, it seems that it's finally purging himself and his government of this old gods. because now as a buyer, it's no longer in charge of chairman of the security council. this was an important body advising on issues of security for the president. he's gone, his nephew has been also removed from the security services must seem of is no longer head of the security services. and this cements president. so kind of grip on the leave as of power. all the leave is of power in kazakhstan, and he has now said that the situation has stabilized in the country. he has, of course, the support of russia. now that the contingent of troops from the c s t o. 3 and a half 1000 bro and troops, most of them russian are deploying to cars extern to prop up his government's in his administration. the question now for many cars acts will be, what role will they play? how long will they stay, and how much credibility the president took on himself, have to have called, in the peacekeeping mission led by russia. and they will also, will be expecting him to accept that changes are needed in kazakhstan. he has said he will address those needs. he will outline his plans for reforms on the 11th of january. this is robin 1st here, walker, for insight story. the u. s. is allowing its non essential consulate staff to leave the city of almighty, where the biggest protests took place. secretary of state anthony blink, and added to global calls for calm and question, conduct sounds, decision to ask for russian military help. we were encouraging everyone to find a peaceful resolution and constructive resolution to a situation. when it comes to the cfo, we have questions about the nature of the request. why it came about were seeking to learn more about it. it would seem to me that the contact authorities in government certainly have the capacity to deal appropriately with, with protests, to do so in a way that respects the rights of protestors while maintaining law and order. so it's not clear why they feel the need for any outside assistance. the all right, let's bring in our guests in geneva, top on or rosa, be cover, director of the bullet institute for peace innovations in moscow. maxim such. gov, a specialist on russian policy and foreign affairs at the russian international affairs council and in brussels. theresa fallon, director at the center for russia, europe, asia studies. a warm welcome to you all and thanks so much for joining us on the show today. teresa, let me start with you today. how does the unrest in carfax on impact russia? and what does the kremlin want out of kazakhstan? well, russia, because it's done and share one of the biggest orders in the world. so what happens in cons? because it doesn't really affect what happens in russia, but we have to ask ourselves why couldn't move so quickly when he had this request, he immediately sees on it. this is the 1st time the c s t o has been used in this fashion, so catholics and is an enormous country with key energy issues. and it has practice a multi vector policy. so that means that they are just in the russian orbit any longer. it's of the country for 30 years. they've had this kind of interesting relationship. and china has made incredible inroads of influence in catholics done as well. so it's a country where between 2 major powers of russia and china and is a key player on china's belts and road initiative. it's huge and big signature policy and to build kind of an idea of the old mill road and have economic instruments. but the other key aspect about this is the energy because it's not a huge producer energy and the export by pipeline to china and during the heyday. ready when i was in. ready moscow, an old guy quoted kosky was actually put in prison because he had the temerity to try to negotiate building a pipeline, an independent pipeline from cause it's done to china, directly circumventing russia's kind of monopoly on pipelines in the old soviet union. so this was a red light for putin and 100 kosky ended up in prison for 8 years on that. so this get put in an incredible opportunity to see is some leverage on china's energy exports from cause extent. and we see beijing's response to this because conflicts and the leader of the current leader because it didn't reach out to the cooperation organization. the su he into he rather reached out to moscow through the c s t o. so clearly he sees closer to the ation with russell. so this is kind of a law for china in the chinese pres there's a, we should work together this yes to you and the su to work together. so i don't think you're cut out of this major power. who, by, by putting maxim, you her, theresa there, talk about the fact this was the 1st time that the c s e o, that's the collective security treaty organization that it's been deployed in this fashion. i'm curious to get your point of view about 1st of all, how significant a move that is. but also, i'm curious to get your point of view about what russian president vladimir putin, what his position was, when all the unrest 1st began in kazakhstan, would he have wanted to intervene, or would this intervention have been a reluctant one? well, i think what is different between policymakers and political analysts is that political analysts enjoy a more time and rather lex environment in which we can analyze events, while policymakers said this top level have to react quickly to the unravel and event. so i think what we've seen and happening because it's done over over since the beginning of the year was an incredibly swift wave search of protest activity that spans most of the country at least major cities in the country. and in some of the cities we've got really violent, so we did raise a lot of concerns in russia over potential prospects for what happened in context on whether these people solutions would collapse. whether, whether this is going to interest struggle between the leads or there's some foreign involvement there. all kinds of versions i think were we did and, and when the request came from the president of cars exxon for the csc on monday to intervene. and these keeping that i think was interesting in itself because the, the mandate that the c a still involved was exactly the peacekeeping force, even though it had other types of troops including anti terrorist activities. so on the one hand you have because leadership talking about, you know, 4 elements and then calling the protests versus terrorists. on the other hand, you have seen feel invoking not the anti terrorist amended, but please keep in mind that which is quite interesting in itself. but the, the present so far has shown to be rather limited. i think moscow is aware of all kinds of pitfalls and challenges them are on the way. meaning, you know, that the c s t o may be seen and has already been seen in some factions that cause x time as, as a problem rather than a solution to the crisis. so russia wants to move rather cautiously and not to participate in, you know, calling for protesters, but rather in safeguarding key security infrastructure for it is make sure that its involvement is restricted in time. so the c a c o general secretary says it may last from quote several days to several weeks, but it depends on the situation in the country and upon the decision of the president of context on. so, so far, i think has been pretty cautious. making sure that the country is stabilized and it does not get spill over to the neighboring regions, including in russia, given what my colleague previously mentioned about the big border chill for president took kind of has said that the situation has now been stabilized. is that the case? are things back firmly under government control and context on oh, thank you very much. so he has no people as skilled and humor. and so i have colleagues and parents and it's, it's really hard to reach them out as because i've been cut internet and mobile phones just and there has been very chance to ask them if they are doing well. and people are scared and they're staying at home lately. there is uncertainty and they said they can come in and but doesn't resources they have passed and they sit for days is no access to internet. and then sometimes they have internet for short bank main communication. so they can target the child, their families, friends, and local unions decided funding that you can hear, you know what there's the brochure changed now. it's mainly to warn people not to approach on the main screen or some additional checks. and to actually answer a friend who did in the streets that in some buildings and strains. and so the situation is more count today, but sound in general, and that to comment why this situation is very complicated. you need to understand that that 2 events happening because it's been called cannot be, must antique environmental government has this has happened 1st, but holds them both for power isn't the highest issues of power. it's height between decline. * and now the kind of that he has support of russia and see us says your position, his parent, arrest them to call. so corporate advice, for example, today was that it must seem of was service twice as prime minister, and he's seen as a little by moustache of former president doesn't binds. and next complication comes from the absence of identity. political filters compared to neighborhoods. that for example, kinds of stuff does not have any opposition. peters who can guide to unite professors and negotiate with their i was or it is and it the same thing that will shape the rush of. so this is this situation. we have to day to reserve, literally as you could, anybody have anticipated that all of this would have happened as quickly as it did in concert on or was the region and the world taken completely by surprise. well, there have been rumblings of protest for years now and we've seen a the government, the current government has made up pledges to do reforms and it's been kind of simmering around. the government hasn't made the reforms that it has promised. and i think that this was just the last straw on the camel's back when they double the price of fuel. and it was shocking how fast it went across the entire country were talking about the country, the size of western europe. so that does happen so rapidly, there has been speculation since there's been an outage, the internet there that always leads to rumors. and as my previous colleague mentioned, you know, this idea or via there are all sorts of rumors circulating that you can fled to china. so it's unclear what's going on there. it's not perhaps just the protesters, but maybe a gym for marketers. we don't know, it's a lot of speculation, but it was so serious that they had to call russia quickly. and russia did, or they immediately came in and from what each i've seen, they said 70 fight planes, military planes and carrying tanks and all sorts of serious defense equipment into the country. so i think that the stakes are very high and because of this news blackout, we're not really clear of what's happening. but they've been key to try to show the world and, and possible investors and countries that have already invested in concerts on that . they've got a grip on things and that everything is coming down. so that's the key message that they need to get out a true upon let me ask you the fact that former president of our buyer is no longer in charge of the security council. the fact that cory moss him off, who was the former head of cossacks, domestic intelligence agency, was detained on what's being called suspicion of high treason. does this say to you that there is a purge that's being conducted by president to kai, of people to rid the political elite of the supporters of former president as or by of is that what we're seeing play out right now? oh, you know, initially ordinary people they wanted to the change of the regime the only one thing they wanted to reach. but of course in the 2nd part of them are protest this, this kind of clash of cons, emergent. but it's a, it's certainly a difficult to say something at this moment, but it seems that there is going on a bottle between this 2 crowns. because it's, you know, a step down. but he was like a guiding old policy making behind the sand. and maybe it's the chance for talk i have to get rid of the desert of i have gone. and so this is hector, also a very complicated situation and just, you know, now people, public opinion, for example, was mainly against the militarization of this country. initial as a vote up in continuous thinking, this change of that to him, that's all. and now people understood that the kremlin and why this r o c is still at position that they are. so russia wants to keep the kind of in the poll power and needed that intervention, turn it down, people's aspirations for t regime change. and people now are disappointed and scared and so many inside and outside of cause us down here. that placement of frame talks in the country is sacrificing its sovereignty. and you know what shocked me and also many other people who are surprised that is a cost and also how to kind of go, they're gonna turn out to be very big to government fail. it to negotiate his own people and take control of the situation. and so now kind of has taken a very punitive approach, calling funded, and she doesn't have that here. it's to kill without working. maxime, u. s. secretary of state, as anybody can warn, the catholic sans government, warned cousins government rather that once russians are in your house, sometimes it's very difficult to get them to leave. from your perspective, are we going to see russia continue its presence in kazakhstan for the long term? well, 1st of all, i think that this statement came from the us state. secretary is kind of interesting because, you know, people in syria, iraq and afghanistan would perhaps have to say a lot about, you know, american stating for longer than they were supposed to. but the very perception, you know, apart from what lincoln had to say, the very perception that we're talking about the look of the sun, i think of the russian troop presence is based upon 2 major sources. one, the soviet interventions and hungry and czechoslovakia, back in the day. and the 2nd is the russian to present in the early days of the post soviet era in moldova, and a plaza in south city. in particular, what i think may be different in, and i'm seeing maybe because we're sort of the early stage of that. what is different is that neither in the so during the civil time of the governments of the countries that this of it's invaded, authorize not, not invited. this of the troops unlike took i did. and in 1990 s the, you know, it was russia, russian own and involvement. here, even though everyone understands that she is still, was pretty much a euphemism for russian military presence. we shouldn't entirely disregarded because there was a lot of political significance that it's a collective region effort. the safe, one of the key members of the region, economic union and of the raise your asian space. so that, that is, that is very important, that the mandate is a collective and b has to be restricted in time. but obviously, i totally can understand from kind of the people's perspective why these may be problem. and it's very important for the russians as well. to make sure that they're not perceived as an occupying force and are therefore very concrete, very limited missions and to bring stability. and then, you know, leave it to, to be caught up because ox to decide about the democratization and other than credit processes in their country. teresa, i just want to focus once more on thing you brought up in your 1st answer, which is the importance regionally a politically economically of kazakhstan. and i want to talk a bit more about china and get your opinion on how concerned china must be right now. i'm seeing what russia is doing. there are strengthening its hand in a country where china has also been vying for more influence. exactly. this is the key. if we do me out of it and look at the bigger geo political picture. everyone is talking about an emerging by 32 in the us in china, but rather than we can actually pull other countries forward. so we've said back into it, it's an area of influence. and that's what happens here. instead of having the multi vector policy of china, russia, us, which they have been handling quite well once investment from all these, they have american oil companies there as well. but now they feel it appears as early stages that they're maybe closer to the russian orbit. we must keep in mind that the cut back population is only about 16000020 percent of that population is russian. and so there is some speculation that the concentration of the russian population in the northern part of the problems is what it's going to ask for in return for keeping the current government in powers. and there is some speculation that was part of that. and that's an oil rich region, so it could be a brilliant move. by sitting back, we will talk about the marriage of convenience between china and russia and that kind of paper to turn that they have because everyone is concerned about russia, china, and dragon baird, type of approach the world. you know, this is a massive power, but we're seeing some divisions now between russia and china. and so i think that by polarity is more complicated rules. now with russia kind of acting in ukraine, bella rude, complex. it's almost, you know, kind of vision to try to pull together the soviets influence area. we saw the, your economic unions which really have much tractions, but now we're seeing, he's trying to do that. and i said that you know who you get a call when you're not storage area and health problems, people are trying to put in thought was happening. we're seeing that no one. thank you, scoot integrate hers. and lastly, it's also sent a message. you know, we saw lots of, it was kind of his retirement plan and now he's been removed. i mean, it's early days. we don't have all the fasted. we haven't heard from results on. those are bias, but the main city name was turned to nurse all time in his honor and now has it. some press reports have returned it to its old name. so i think that there is another by, it has fallen out of fever, and this is the message here is for is you're not going to be able to retire and show pon from your perspective. what happens now? what happens going forward with because ox peoples calls for political change? oh, i see all the whole health grievances real little bit. you have consequences in several years in into me because i took i, if he goes at this challenge and sir got a support from foreign troops. but cuz it people will continue demanding the change i think. and it's impossible just ignore, but he wants to soft people for many years. maybe it might be several years. but anyway, the change should come, right? people had a right to to have to get rid of corruption and they cut up to a lights and they have a right to freedom. and so i think, i hope that has expanded people. this aspirations will come through one day. maxime, you've spoken in some of your previous answers about what a difficult line this will be up for russia to walk when it comes to their presence in kazakhstan. i want to ask you more specifically, what are some of the potential drawbacks when it comes to russians? rushes involvement in kazakhstan while i'm in any crisis, especially the one that russia's been involved in is both a challenge and opportunity for, for moscow. and i think right now, there is a very reason and desire in the kremlin to make sure that russia extracts more benefits for itself in this particular situation than then faces challenges to i think they're important elections. of course, from what's going on in kazakhstan for russia's own power transition in 2024. we also have to make sure that that we're seeing right now, and that's very important for the future of because a question relations. so kind of will be almost $79.00 by the time of the next presidential cycle. so perhaps he's and perhaps he's not there to stay for for a long time, but still very important. the drawbacks, as i mentioned, to make sure that the russian presence is not perceived by the people as an occupying force. and i have to say that it's not just all the people in cars are on our, against archive, and against the russians. many look at the russian and c, a c o presidents as a, as a stabilizing force. most important thing for the, for the moscow to ensure that the image maintains, to make sure the russian is not participating in fighting with very protesters, the making sure it's also kind of, i think, you know, this is, he is your presence perhaps is, is, you know, we'll have to be decided what comes next, but the, the drug, the washing ethnic presence is very important. so i think what is now we're in moscow that the ethnic russians are not subject to or target to attacks by those who are displeased with c s t o presence. anyone associated your presence with ethnic rush. and so a lot of things i think that are on the table for moscow to look at that so far. i think that was learned to me rather cautiously. we'll see what happens next. all right, well we have run out of time, so we're going to have to leave our conversation there. thanks so much to all of our guests show up on or also the cova maxime switch cause and theresa fallon and thank you to for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com, and for further discussion got our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you can also during the conversation on twitter, our handle is at a j inside story. for me mm hm. mm hm. job and the whole team here, bye for now. ah, ah. the listening post cuts through the noise, we're talking about competing now. they see monday tools being used to perpetuate there's competing narrative separating spin from fact all 3 versions of the story. and then some element of the truth that the full story remains and coaching, unpacking the stories you're being told, it's not a science story at all. it's a story about politics, the listening post your guide to the media on a j 0. ah, this is al jazeera. ah. hi there, i'm kimbell, this is ben hughes, all live from dell are coming up in the next 60 minutes. public sounds president promises to fight against what he calls terrorists is the former intelligence chief is detained at the treason.

Related Keywords

Serbia , Moscow , Moskva , Russia , Kazakhstan , Georgia , United States , Afghanistan , Slovak Republic , New Delhi , Delhi , India , Moldova , Beijing , China , South Africa , Syria , Kremlin , Brussels , Bruxelles Capitale , Belgium , Ethiopia , Pakistan , Ukraine , Iraq , Geneva , Genè , Switzerland , Chinese , South African , Soviet , Soviets , Russian , Russians , Czechoslovakia , American , Cyril Rama Porter , Ben Hughes , Cory Moss , Vladimir Putin , Cova Maxime , Theresa Fallon ,