Kazakhstan Protests Continue

🇰🇿 President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev authorized security forces to shoot-to-kill demonstrators on Friday following days of protests. The official death toll now stands at 164 – though it's unclear if this refers only to civilians or if law enforcement deaths were included – with another 5,800 people currently detained. Kazakh authorities said yesterday that 16 members of the police or national guard had been killed.

• Protests first erupted last Sunday over a sudden spike in fuel prices, but have grown to include general frustrations against the government. 
• The country has only had two leaders over the past 30 years and is widely seen as authoritarian. Both leaders consistently "won" elections with close to 100% of the vote.
• At President Tokayev's request, a Russian-led military coalition sent thousands of paratroopers into the country last week to secure government infrastructure. Yesterday, it deployed an additional 2,500 mostly Russian soldiers.

+Crypto connection: Thanks to neighboring China, where crypto is outlawed, Kazakhstan is the world's second-biggest country for bitcoin mining. Government officials cut off internet access across the country last week, taking an estimated 15% of the world's bitcoin miners offline.