Rusia envía tropas a Kazakhstan

Troops from a Russia-led military alliance arrived in Kazakhstan in an attempt to restore order after a night of protests in the Central Asian country turned violent and the police reported dozens of deaths.

Protesters swarmed the streets in Almaty, the country’s largest city, all night and into the early hours on Thursday, setting government buildings on fire and overrunning the airport. By morning, commercial banks and stores were ordered to close, causing people to rush to A.T.M.s to collect cash and line up for bread.

Kazakh authorities said that in addition to those who had been killed, about a thousand people had been injured and up to 400 had been hospitalized. By Thursday, about 2,000 protesters had been detained, the interior ministry said.

The troop deployment is the first by the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military alliance of former Soviet states, dominated by Russia. The operation was described as a temporary peacekeeping mission.

Background: The revolt in Kazakhstan began on Sunday as a protest against a surge in fuel prices. Even when the government said it would rescind the price increase, the protests widened.

Context: Kazakhstan has by far the highest G.D.P. per capita in the region and plenty of reserves, driven by billions in profits from oil. Most of this wealth, however, has not been equally distributed, with the elites living lavishly while many survive on meager salaries.