Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Kazakhstan declares state of emergency. Airport takeover, palace fire. Russia and Belarusian will help restore order.

The situation in Kazakhstan took a sharp turn for the worse on Wednesday, as several cities saw violent unrest, with administrative buildings stormed, a presidential residence set on fire, and the main airport allegedly seized. Russian and Belarusian Sec officials will start suppression ops in Almaty to stop the riots from tomorrow.
Kazakhstan’s authorities have imposed a state of emergency across the country in an attempt to get a grip on a deteriorating security situation, after widespread riots were sparked by a gas price hike.

Despite the measures, street violence has continued across multiple Kazakh cities. The situation has become especially chaotic in Almaty, with groups of violent protesters storming local administration and other government buildings and setting them on fire.Footage circulating online shows that law enforcement agents appear unable to bring the situation under control, with multiple police and emergency services vehicles having themselves been torched. Demonstrators have been seen chasing and beating police officers and soldiers, with some apparently having had their firearms removed.

The situation in Kazakhstan took a sharp turn for the worse, as several cities saw violent unrest, with administrative buildings stormed, a presidential residence set on fire, and the main airport allegedly seized.

Almaty, the former capital, has been gripped by violent unrest throughout the day, with protesters overrunning multiple government buildings, including the old presidential palace, and torching them.

The protests began after a twofold hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the start of the new year. The price caps that had existed in the country for years had turned LPG into an extremely popular type of fuel, widely utilized both in households and in road vehicles, where it was commonly converted to be used instead of conventional gasoline.

In a matter of days, the unrest spread across the nation, growing increasingly political and violent.

Footage circulating online shows protesters assaulting police officers and military servicemen, and apparently taking their firearms in the process. Clips of the police firing tear gas grenades and water cannons have also surfaced. Numerous stores, including those selling guns, have reportedly been ransacked, and rioters in Almaty have reportedly been breaking into ATMs. The city’s international airport has also been overrun by violent protesters, and its operations are currently suspended.

The ongoing wave of mass protests was triggered by a twofold hike in liquefied petroleum gas prices at the start of the new year. The fuel had been subsidized for years, becoming extremely popular, yet the government decided the policy was no longer sustainable, ultimately letting the market decide the price.

The fuel price protests began in the country’s south-west, promptly spilling over into other regions. The unrest grew increasingly political in a matter of days, soon swiveling away from the original gas price uproar.

The old presidential palace, located in Almaty, has not been spared during the unrest. The crowd has breached its perimeter, setting the building ablaze. While the facility has not been used by the head-of-state for years, since the capital was moved from Almaty to Nur-Sultan (formerly known as Astana), it maintains its status.

yesterday ,protesters reportedly breached and took over Almaty International Airport, the state's major passenger and cargo hub, local media reported.

Some “45 invaders” had assumed control after the military officers guarding its perimeter had reportedly left their posts.

All passengers have been evacuated, they said, and flights to Almaty have been canceled or diverted by multiple airlines across the world.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
×