Russian troops complete withdrawal from Kazakhstan

Russia’s defence ministry says the troops that were deployed to Kazakhstan as violent demonstrations shook the country have returned home.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday that all of its planes carrying troops had returned.

The troops were part of a force sent as peacekeepers by the Collective Treaty Security Organization, a Russia-led alliance of six former Soviet states.

The CSTO approved the force of more than 2,000 on January 5 at the request of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It was not clear whether troops from other CSTO countries remain in Kazakhstan.

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Two weeks of unrest

Unrest in Kazakhstan emerged from a background of deteriorating living standards.

Demonstrations started on January 2 to protest a sharp rise in fuel prices. They quickly spread nationwide and descended into violence within several days.

Protesters stormed government buildings and set them ablaze and dozens of people were killed in clashes with the country’s security forces.

More than 5,000 people have been detained for questioning as part of 125 separate investigations into the unrest, according to the interior ministry.

The interior ministry also said initial estimates put property damage at around $198 million (175 million euros).

READ MORE: Kazakhstan's Tokayev orders rebuilding of riot-hit Almaty