pcr expands on what my suspicions were immediately upon seeing this in the news;

Russia Outflanked

Paul Craig Roberts

Just as the Kremlin had steeled itself to face down the West over Ukraine, Washington initiated the destabilization of Kazakhstan on Russia’s central Asian border. At this time it is unclear how serious the situation is, but the Collective Security Treaty Organization consisting of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Kazakhstan have sent troops in response to the Kazakh government’s request for help.

Now the Kremlin finds itself with troubles on two fronts.

Unlike the overthrow of Ukraine, which the Kremlin was too preoccupied with the Sochi Olympics to prevent, the Kremlin responded quickly to the attempt to overthrow the Kazakh government.

The main lesson for the Kremlin is that Washington could not care less about the Kremlin’s security concerns. Just a couple days before Biden and Putin are scheduled to resolve the Ukraine situation, another former Russian province goes into chaos. The largest city is burning and there is disorder throughout the country. https://sputniknews.com/20220106/mayhem-in-kazakhstan-police-officers-beheaded-stores-looted-hospitals-surrounded—photo-video-1092064237.html It is impossible to believe that the widespread violence spontaneously erupted. The CIA is at work.

Russia was setup for destabilization by Washington’s breakup of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Numerous former Russian provinces are now independent states. The separations removed Russians from power in the new independent republics, but the CIA remained..........read more......