Astana denies sending troops to Russia-Ukraine border

The Kazakh army is not going to participate in solving any issues through the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

The statement came from Kazakh Defence Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov, Kazinform reports.

He made the remarks while asked about rumours spreading on social media that Kazakh servicemen are planning to be sent to Russia's Belgorod and Voronezh regions to protect their borders.

"As the defence minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I declare to you with all responsibility that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan are on our territory. We carry out some obligations to leave, resolve some issues, and conduct peacekeeping missions only through the United Nations, but we do not fulfill any obligations on the territory of the CSTO countries and are not going anywhere. You can be calm, we are not going anywhere," Zhaksylykov said.

The Defence  Ministry earlier issued a statement denying rumours about sending military equipment to Ukraine.