The CSTO forces in Kazakhstan are led by the commander of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation Serdyukov, who participated in the annexation of Crimea

The operations of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) forces in Kazakhstan will be led by the commander of the Air Force, Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov. This is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of Russia Igor Konashenkov, writes currenttime.tv.

Russia sent units of the 45th Airborne Special Forces Brigade, the 98th Airborne Division and the 31st Separate Airborne Brigade to Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Defense said that all servicemen have combat experience.

It is known from his biography that he was a participant in the First and Second Chechen Wars, the march of the combined battalion of the Air Force on Pristina, and Russia's military operation in Syria. In 2014, he took part in the annexation of Crimea to Russia, because of which he was included in the sanctions list of Ukraine. In particular, "Izvestia" called him the "brilliant organizer" of the Crimean events.

The commander of the Airborne Forces was awarded the orders "For Merit to the Fatherland" of the III and IV degrees with swords, as well as the title of Hero of Russia.

On January 5, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, appealed to the CSTO member countries to send troops to fight against "terrorists". Experts call the CSTO a structure with the help of which Moscow manages neighboring countries. Previously, the CSTO did not fulfill requests for peacekeepers.

On January 103, military personnel from Russia arrived in the country. Later it became known that "a Belarusian peacekeeping company from the XNUMXrd airborne brigade of special operations forces flew to Kazakhstan as part of the CSTO forces." Deputies of the parliaments of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agreed to send troops to Kazakhstan within the framework of the CSTO.

Mass protests have been taking place in the country since January 2, which broke out in connection with a two-fold increase in prices for liquefied gas. By the sixth of January, mass protests had taken over almost the entire country. Eyewitnesses reported shootings and explosions in Almaty. Information about the dead and wounded appeared. Since January 5, a state of emergency has been in effect throughout the country. On the morning of January 6, the Internet was again turned off in Kazakhstan. All banks in the country stopped working.

In March 2014, Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Krym. International organizations recognized the annexation of Crimea as illegal and condemned the actions of Russia, Western countries imposed economic sanctions against it. The Kremlin denies the annexation of the peninsula and calls it "the restoration of historical justice."