Why did Russia-led military bloc intervene in Kazakhstan?Five CSTO allies sent peacekeeping forces at Nur-Sultan’s request as it deals with mass unrest
A peacekeeping mission of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has been deployed to Kazakhstan as the nation struggles to control street violence. Here are the goals and the scope of the multinational mission.
What is the CSTO, exactly?
The security bloc, which is made up of six former Soviet states – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan – was formed in 1992, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. With the Red Army consigned to history, the CSTO took on the role of providing collective security for its members.
The bloc is headquartered in Moscow, but is chaired in turns by the leader of each member country, in what is known as a rotating presidency. It makes decisions on a consensual basis. Participants hold joint military drills every year, and can’t be part of other military blocs, such as the US-led NATO.
The CSTO deployed a joint peacekeeping mission to Kazakhstan this week, with each country’s units arriving separately on Thursday and Friday.
How is this legal?
According to Article 2 of the Collective Security Treaty: “In case of menace to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty of one or several Member States… the Member States shall immediately launch the mechanism of joint consultations…” Meanwhile, Article 4 states that in the event of such menace, “all the other Member States at request of this Member State shall immediately provide the latter with the necessary help, including military aid.”
In response to President Tokayev’s plea, the allies held emergency talks and jointly agreed that a military intervention (as enshrined in a separate peacekeeping agreement) was justified, since the ongoing events in Kazakhstan indeed “pose a real threat to the country’s security, stability and territorial integrity,” according to the bloc’s Secretary-General Stanislav Zas.
Does it mean Russian soldiers will engage in street battles with rioters?
The main goal of the peacekeeping force is to protect “important government and strategic facilities,” the CSTO’s Secretary-General has said. Soldiers will also help local forces “maintain order” in the country.
The deployment will not be used to directly engage with protesters and rioters, and law enforcement tasks will continue to be carried out by the local police, officials have promised.
“The military personnel of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces are not involved in operative and combat activities of local law enforcement agencies and army units to establish law and order in the country,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
