First Six Planes With Russia's Peacekeepers From CSTO Forces Arrive From Kazakhstan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The first six planes with Russian peacekeepers from the forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) have arrived at the Severny airfield in the Russian city of Ivanovo from Kazakhstan, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

"The first six planes with Russian peacekeepers from the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the CSTO arrived at the Severny airfield (Ivanovo) from Kazakhstan", the ministry said.

Later in the day, the ministry stated that all aircraft carrying the troops had returned from Kazakhstan.

According to the ministry, after the landing of the last craft, solemn events will be held at the airfield to greet Russian paratroopers who have completed their tasks professionally. At the end of the said events, personnel will begin to unload their equipment for departure to their point of permanent deployment.

The peacekeepers were deployed to Kazakhstan after protests, prompted by a spike in gas prices. After the protests resulted in a violent riot in Almaty, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a nationwide state of emergency and requested assistance from Kazakhstan's allies in the CSTO. The peacekeepers were guarding strategic facilities, while Kazakh police were curing the unrest across the country.