Kazakhstan uprising quashed, Russian troops set to head home

Moscow — Russian-led forces will start withdrawing from Kazakhstan this week after helping to quash protests that were sparked by gas price rises, but quickly escalated into riots as thousands demanded real change in the authoritarian-ruled former Soviet Republic. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who sacked his entire cabinet and requested the intervention by his country's allies as the protests spiraled out of control, said the foreign forces that came to his rescue would soon pull out.

Kazakh officials have detained nearly 10,000 people in their crackdown on the protesters, who engulfed the country for several days last week. 

Several thousand demonstrators had to seek medical help, health officials said. Dozens were likely killed, though it remained unclear on Tuesday how high the toll really is as Kazakhstan's authorities shut down the internet and there has been little reliable information available on casualties.