Protests in Kazakhstan turn violent as unrest spreads nationwide

Protests in Kazakhstan turned violent Wednesday as anger over a jump in fuel prices spilled into broader discontent with political and economic stagnation, raising concerns in Russia, its biggest trading-partner and ally.   

The demonstrations, which started over the weekend in western Kazakhstan, quickly swelled to the biggest since the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, handed power to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in 2019.  

Protesters stormed the mayor’s office and attempted to seize the presidential residence in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, with fires burning at both sites, Interfax reported. Some of the demonstrators called for Nazarbayev, who for over three decades has