CSTO sends peacekeepers to Kazakhstan, Armenian troops among them

The Collective Security Treaty Organization is sending collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan, where protests over rising gas prices have turned into mass unrest. The decision was announced by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who chairs the Collective Security Council.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked the CSTO for help, speaking of "terrorist gangs trained abroad". Administrative buildings and the airport in Almaty have been seized.

Russian troops will form the core of the contingent. Armenia will send about 100 servicemen, who will guard infrastructure and will not take part in security operations.

The decision has sparked debate in Armenia: the opposition and part of society recalled that the CSTO did not respond to Yerevan's requests for help after Azerbaijani troops entered its territory in May 2021.