The Kazakh authorities faced a hybrid terrorist attack, which may have pursued the goal of a coup d'état, the State Secretary of Kazakhstan Yerlan Karin said, Trend reports citing TASS.
"I think we are faced with a hybrid terrorist attack on Kazakhstan with the ultimate goal of general destabilization and possibly a coup d'état," he said.
He noted that the final answer to who is behind the attacks will be given by the special services.
"The fact is that experts evaluate all these events according to old templates. Someone compares with color revolutions, with velvet revolutions. But in relation to Kazakhstan, I think they would be ineffective. The circumstances in our country are different, and the position of the authorities is quite stable, and a number of other points - they would not allow the implementation of the classic versions of color revolutions," he added.
According to him, there was "a certain conspiracy of internal and certain external forces," since both Kazakh citizens and foreign citizens were participants in the attack terrorist groups.
As Karin noted, Tokayev's decisive actions, including on the CSTO, thwarted plans to destabilize the situation in Kazakhstan. That said, the citizens of Kazakhstan still need to remain vigilant.
The situation during the riots in Kazakhstan was critical, it was about preserving the integrity of the state, the Secretary of State emphasized.
At the same time, the involvement of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent made it possible to preserve the state integrity of Kazakhstan, he said.
Kazakhstan's government announced late Jan. 4 that it was restoring some price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year.
Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1.
After the price of the fuel spiked, big demonstrations erupted on Jan. 2 in certain parts of the country. Public protests are illegal in the country unless their organizers file a notice in advance.
Following the development of the situation, the government declared a state of emergency all over the country. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the government initiated anti-terrorist operations to deal with the ongoing riots.
Also, the divisions of the united peacekeeping contingent of CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) arrived in Kazakhstan to assist in restoring order and help protect strategic objects of the country.