On January 2, 2022, Mukhtar Ablyazov happily announced on his social media page that "Today Zhanaozen celebrated the New Year with protests."
Indeed, on that day, hundreds of residents of Zhanaozen went to the building of the akimat to protest against the increase in gas prices. In a city where most cars run on gas, protesters blocked traffic on a road in the city center.
Zhanaozen residents demanded to reduce the price of liquefied gas to 50 tenge per liter: on December 31st, the cost of gas in the city was 100 tenge, and from January 1st, it increased to 120 tenge.
Those who gathered in Zhanaozen called on the oblast akim Nurlan Nogayev and the city akim Maksat Ibagarov to take measures to stabilize prices and prevent fuel shortages.
Acting akim Galym Baizhanov arrived to the protesters. He said that Ibagarov is now on leave. The official asked the audience to put their demands in writing and submit them to the akimat. In response, the protesters said that they had previously addressed letters there, but there were no results from this.
On the morning of January 3, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to urgently consider the situation in Zhanaozen. As a result, by order of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, a government commission was created to consider the socio-economic situation in the Mangistau region, which developed a package of measures to regulate the price of liquefied petroleum gas.
On January 4, the government commission began work in Aktau. Activists of the Mangistau region also announced the creation of a public headquarters for the regulation of prices for liquefied gas. On the same day, during a meeting of the government commission with activists who gathered at Yntymak Square in the city of Aktau, it was announced that the cost of liquefied gas was reduced and the price was set at 50 tenge per liter in the Mangistau region as part of the social responsibility of NC Kazmunaygaz.
The President of Kazakhstan addressed the protesters and asked them not to follow the calls of destructive individuals. However, the protests spread throughout the republic, acquiring a massive aggressive character. And already on the night of January 5, in large cities of Kazakhstan, against the backdrop of mass protests, there were interruptions in the Internet, instant messengers and social networks stopped working.
On January 5, Tokayev made a statement in connection with the current situation in the country, calling for prudence and not to succumb to provocations from inside and outside, the euphoria of rallies and permissiveness.
In Almaty, subdivisions of law enforcement agencies forced out the bulk of the protesters from the Republic Square, where about a thousand people had gathered.
As a result of the aggravation of the situation, Tokayev introduced a state of emergency in Almaty and the Mangistau region. The next day, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dismissed the government. The duties of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan were temporarily entrusted to Alikhan Smailov. In addition, by presidential decree, Yermek Sagimbayev was appointed chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Murat Nurtleu – First Deputy Head of the KNB.
Tokayev instructed to introduce state regulation of prices for liquefied gas, gasoline and diesel for a period of 180 days.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency was introduced in the Almaty region.
In Almaty, an aggressive crowd of "peaceful protesters" seized the building of the akimat. The protesters began to smash social facilities and interfere with the work of the ambulance.
A state of emergency was introduced in the capital of the country.
The President of Kazakhstan announced that he was assuming the post of Chairman of the Security Council. He also made a new appeal to the people of Kazakhstan, saying that whatever happens, he intends to be in the capital of the republic.
In Almaty, protesters smashed the offices of a number of TV channels.
On January 6, in connection with a serious and immediate threat to the security of citizens, in order to ensure public safety, restore law and order, protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, a state of emergency was introduced by presidential decree throughout the republic.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting of the Security Council, during which he stated that he had applied for military assistance to his CSTO partners to provide a peacekeeping contingent of the countries participating in the agreement.
An anti-terrorist special operation began in Almaty to establish order in the city, as a result of which the airport previously captured by terrorists was released. The Almaty police detained about 2,000 rioters during the cleaning of city streets.
The country began a global personnel reshuffle.
The CSTO Collective Security Council decided to send the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces to Kazakhstan. And on the same day, it was announced that the advanced units of the CSTO contingent had already begun to carry out their tasks in Kazakhstan. They included units of the armed forces of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
On January 7, the General Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan opened criminal cases on the facts of organizing and participating in mass riots, and a pre-trial investigation into acts of terrorism was launched.
Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan expressed their desire to create people's guards to protect their business.
Speaking with an appeal to the people, Tokayev said that counter-terrorist actions should be continued until the complete destruction of the militants. He also stated that he ordered law enforcement agencies and the army to open fire on the terrorists, and to shoot without warning.
A critical – red – level of terrorist threat was introduced throughout Kazakhstan.
Law enforcement agencies detained 3,811 people throughout Kazakhstan, among the detainees was criminal authority Arman Zhumageldiev (Wild Arman).
On January 8, Karim Massimov, former chairman of the KNB of Kazakhstan, was detained on suspicion of high treason.
The situation in the republic gradually began to stabilize.
As you can see, in this entire series of events, nowhere and no one mentions the name of Mukhtar Ablyazov. Obviously, the fugitive banker has nothing to do with the coup attempt. However, Ablyazov himself, on all the days of the January "pogroms" (attacks), carefully created the appearance of direct involvement in their organization.
On days when the Internet was turned off and there was no connection throughout Kazakhstan, Ablyazov scribbled posts with calls to go to rallies and even appointed times and places to gather. It looked especially "touching" against the background of the fact that Almaty had already been completely plundered by that time.
However, the head of the DCK stubbornly did not want to notice the pogroms, the killed and beaten security officials, the injured businessmen and the frightened Almaty residents. During all these days he wrote about the overthrow of the Nazarbayev regime and admired the bandits.
Like most of the so-called oppositionists, Ablyazov subsequently began to distort the facts that took place during the days of the January pogroms and glorify the bandits.
Moreover, two of Ablyazov's accomplices, Lyudmila Kozlovskaya and Bota Jardemalie, said that at the PACE summer session in Strasbourg, they met with deputies of the Council of Europe member countries and "presented a new report on the human rights situation in Kazakhstan and a list of political prisoners, victims of executions and torture in January, politically persecuted in criminal cases".