Pro-Moscow expert: What is happening in Kazakhstan is the last nail in the coffin of the Soviet Union
Commenting on the unrest in Kazakhstan, pro-Kremlin Central Asian expert Yuri Krupnov says, “Today and only today, it can be said that the Soviet Union breathed its last.”
This is what was reported by the American newspaper “Daily Beast” in a report by its correspondent in Moscow, Anna Nemtsova, who chose the title for him, “And now Putin’s nightmare has become a reality despite his nose.”
At the beginning of her report, the correspondent mentioned the current situation in Kazakhstan, where unprecedented protests prompted the government to resign and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to declare a state of emergency, not to mention the announcement by a coalition led by Moscow and comprising 6 former Soviet countries that it intends to send “peacekeepers” to control the situation, ( The vanguard of the Russian forces have already begun to reach Kazakhstan), after writing the article.
The writer adds that the Kazakh protesters were very frank in their message to the man who ruled the country for three decades, Nursultan Nazarbayev, as they chanted, “Go out, old man.”
The writer explains that this matter sparked real terror in Moscow, where officials become obsessed with every time protests threaten to overthrow one of the old regimes of the Soviet Union, especially Kazakhstan, this country is considered the economic center of Central Asia, with its precious mineral mines, oil and gas.
Moscow – according to the writer – no longer doubts that the old Kazakh regime has collapsed with the beginning of these protests, especially after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed old Nazarbayev from the highest position in the National Security Council yesterday, Wednesday, bringing down the closest ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Until last week, no one dared criticize Nazarbayev, who met Putin during the past days, but it seems that social issues – including unemployment, poverty and the sudden increase in fuel prices – did not leave the people of Kazakhstan with the ability to endure, and these clashes broke out that marked by violence.
“No one expected the proletarian riots of the young people of Kazakhstan until a few days ago, and Kazakhstan was not prepared for bloody clashes and violent riots,” Kremlin expert Sergei Markov told The Daily Beast.
The pro-Kremlin Central Asia expert Yuri Krupnov believes that these actions took Moscow out of its mind, as it was too busy in dealing with Belarus and Ukraine, and reduced its interest in Central Asia, even though it is an important region for Putin’s idea of reviving the Soviet Union.
Regarding the position of Russian nationalists – including the novelist and politician Zakhar Prilibin – the writer says that they resorted to their familiar strategy, blaming the West for responsibility for what is happening in Kazakhstan, as Prilibin said yesterday, Wednesday, “Foreign agents were well prepared.”
But Kremlin expert Sergei Markov disagrees with him on this completely, and believes that “this is not a color revolution, (referring to previous revolutions in the last two decades, such as orange, scarlet, etc.), as Nazarbayev has long silenced all the pro-Western opposition. It’s also not an Islamic protest, this is a chaotic uprising of the miserable young proletarian class working in bad conditions,” Markov told The Daily Beast.
Although Nazarbayev is now off the scene and the Kazakh proxy government has revealed plans to reimpose some caps on fuel prices, unrest continues and crowds are angry at police brutality this week.
As for the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, commented yesterday, Wednesday, on what is happening in Kazakhstan, saying that “the most important thing is to avoid foreign interference,” stressing that the Russian-friendly Kazakh authorities are able to control the situation, he said.