Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko speaks at press briefing in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: VNA

RIA news agency quoted Grushko as saying that Russia and other former Soviet states in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which has sent peacekeepers to help Kazakhstan deal with an explosion of unrest, were "standing up for Kazakhstan and doing as allies should".

In a related development, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin held several phone calls on Thursday and Friday with leaders of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, including Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, discussing the situation in Kazakhstan, the Kremlin has said.

Protests erupted in Kazakhstan earlier this week over higher fuel prices. The rise in fuel prices also resulted in a surge in consumer goods. The protests continued even after the government resigned to appease the protesters and turned violent.