More than 6,000 people already arrested in Kazakhstan. At least 164 protesters killed

Russia continues the intensive, round-the-clock deployment of military forces to Kazakhstan, with 75 aircraft involved.

In Kazakhstan, more than six thousand people have already been arrested as a result of protests, while at least 164 protesters have been killed.

At the same time, Russia is intensively transferring its military forces to Kazakhstan, using 75 aircraft around the clock. 

Investigative journalists at Bellingcat have decided to create a database of flights made from Kazakhstan and to this country.

164 killed and 6,000 detained

Some 5,800 people have already been detained for participating in riots in Kazakhstan, "among them a large number of foreigners," the press service of President Tokayev reported.

The Interior Ministry's situation center reports that 5,969 people have been detained. Overnight, the Interior Ministry had reported 5,135 detainees.

"Mopping-up" of settlements is underway, according to the message. "The situation has been stabilized in all regions of the country," the presidential press service claims.

134 people have been sent to temporary detention facilities on suspicion of committing especially grave crimes, according to the ORDA Kazakhstan portal.

The previous day, authorities had reported more than 4.4 thousand detainees.

Also during the protests, 164 people died, the republic's operational headquarters reported on Sunday in its Telegram channel, citing the Ministry of Health.

According to the headquarters, 103 people died in Almaty, 21 in Kyzylorda region — 10 in Zhambyl region — and eight people in Almaty region.

Earlier, the state channel Khabar 24 also reported that more than 2,000 people had sought medical assistance during this time.

The Interior Ministry also clarified the number of security personnel killed. Sixteen were killed and more than 1.3 thousand police officers, National Guard personnel and servicemen were injured, the ministry reported. Earlier, authorities had reported 18 dead.

More than 400 vehicles were damaged or destroyed, 346 of them police cars, Turgumbayev also said. According to him, looters ransacked more than 100 large retail facilities and banks, with preliminary damage estimated at about $212 million.

Ukrainians stranded in Almaty

There are no Ukrainians among the dead, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.

There are also no Ukrainians among the injured or detained during the protests in Kazakhstan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko reported on Facebook.

116 Ukrainians are stranded in Almaty because the international airport is not servicing civilian aircraft. It is being used for military transport aviation.

All Ukrainians have been provided with temporary housing and food. There are no threats to their lives or safety, Nikolenko wrote.

75 Russian aircraft

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian Il-76 military aircraft will carry out more than 20 flights to transport equipment and paratroopers to Kazakhstan.

In total, more than 75 aircraft have been engaged around the clock in the CSTO operation.

In addition, an air group formed by the Russian Defense Ministry, consisting of more than 70 Il-76 aircraft and 5 An-124 aircraft, is continuously transporting Russian military personnel into the country from the Severny airfield.

The media reports that new Russian BTR-MD "Rakushka" armored personnel carriers are also being transferred to Kazakhstan.

Bellingcat database

Bellingcat, a website specializing in fact-checking and open-source investigations, announced the launch of a database of flights made from Kazakhstan and to this country, as well as air traffic in the area of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

According to the authors, they relied on FlightRadar24 data, tracked in real time since January 3, and entered into the table the movements of business jets and military aircraft, excluding regular civilian and cargo flights.

"The ability to track in real time the flights of officials, cargo flights and even military flights to and from the conflict zone can provide important information about a situation that continues to change," the organization's statement says.

The group notes that amid the protests and riots, many rumors are circulating in Kazakhstan, in particular about the whereabouts of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and members of his family. The investigators called the database they created the first step in assessing the credibility of claims that they could have left the country.

They report that the database continues to be updated and note that for some aircraft "the tracking service showed no data other than the fact that this aircraft is in flight".