The return of Russian peacekeepers to their homeland will mark the full completion of the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan on January 19.
As Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted in his report to Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 13, the return of Russian units was to take five days and be finally completed on January 19.
CSTO peacekeeping forces were deployed to Kazakhstan on January 6, 2022. The grouping included units of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as military personnel from Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The peacekeepers were airlifted by the Russian Air Force's military transport aircraft. On average, there were about 20 flights a day. IL-76 and Antonov 124 Ruslan heavy military transport aircraft were used.
Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow and Ivanovo airport were the main departure points for the Russian troops. Armenian and Belorussian contingents were airlifted in by Russian air forces from Yerevan and Minsk, respectively. Also, a Russian Il-76 carried a unit of the Tajik Armed Forces. The troops of Kyrgyzstan reached Almaty on their own overland as part of a convoy with their regular equipment.
The contingents were offloaded at the Zhetygen airbase on the outskirts of Almaty and at the international airport site in the city.
Protection of strategic facilities
The main task of the CSTO peacekeepers was to protect strategically important facilities in Almaty in order to free up the resources of the Kazakhstani security forces for the enforcement of constitutional order. In addition to the two airports, the main location of the peacekeeping forces was the territory of the Almaty Higher Combined Arms Command School (Institute of Ground Forces).
According to Sergei Shoigu, peacekeepers took under protection 14 objects of special importance. Among them are communication and energy facilities, which are responsible for the vital functions of the state.
Russian paratroopers guarded the international airport, the Consulate General of Russia, the main communication center "Kazakh-Telecom", CHP-3, the main water intake and pumping station, and the main communication towers.
Representatives of Kyrgyzstan provided security for Kyrgyzstan's CHP-2, a facility that supplies nearly 60 percent of the city's electricity and heat.
Soldiers of the Belarusian peacekeeping contingent guarded the strategically important military airfield Zhetygen on the outskirts of Almaty, which received the first planes with peacekeepers. They also guarded Kazakhstan's largest arsenal of artillery ammunition near the village of Kapchagai, 60 kilometers from Almaty.
A contingent from Armenia defended the city's bakery plant and the Druzhba water canal. Soldiers from Tajikistan defended the thermal power station-1, the second most important point of the city's energy complex.
Forces involved
The group of peacekeepers had an average strength of 2,500 servicemen and 250 pieces of equipment. The units of the 45th Separate Special Forces Brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops, as well as the command and control brigade of the Airborne Troops, were among the first to be deployed in Kazakhstan. After them, units of the 98th Guards Airborne Division of the Airborne Troops Svir began to arrive in Almaty.
The Russian forces' equipment included BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Tiger and Typhoon armored vehicles, as well as BMD-2 and BTR-MD Rakushka amphibious assault vehicles.
Belarus deployed units of the 103rd Independent Vitebsk Guards Airborne Brigade consisting of about 200 people with standard vehicles and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers. Kyrgyzstan was represented by units of the Scorpion brigade with Chinese-made Dajiang armored vehicles.
Armenia sent about 100 servicemen and necessary vehicles. Tajikistan sent about 200 troops, and the necessary equipment was provided by the Kazakh side.
Returning home
On January 13, the end of the peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan was announced. As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, CSTO peacekeepers played a very important role in stabilizing the situation in the country.
On average, 20 sorties per day were planned for the removal of servicemen and equipment. Foreign contingents went home first, followed by Russian paratroopers.
The Kyrgyz contingent, just as during the deployment, will be transported to their permanent bases by land.
On January 14, airplanes with peacekeepers of Armenia, Belarus and Tajikistan departed from the airfields of Almaty and Zhetygen to their respective countries. On January 15, the mass transfer of Russian airborne troops from Alma-Ata to Russia began.
During the period of the peacekeeping operation, military transport aircraft of the Air Force from Kazakhstan delivered to Russia about 2,200 Russian and foreign citizens who wished to leave the country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS