Tuesday 27 September 2022 11:41 AM Kazakhstan risks Putin's wrath by vowing to 'care for' Russians fleeing draft trends now
Kazakhstan has risked the wrath of Putin by offering to 'care for' Russian men fleeing conscription due to the 'hopeless situation' back home.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of the ex-Soviet state, also offered muted criticism of Putin's war - saying that the 'territorial integrity of states must be preserved' as the despot moves to carve up Ukraine using sham referenda.
He spoke as the country's interior ministry revealed almost 100,000 Russians have crossed the border in six days since Putin ordered fighting-age men to be drafted.
Tokayev's speech marks the latest act of defiance from a country that has been a close ally of Moscow in the past, and is the latest rumbling of discontent from Russia's satellite states in Asia as Putin's power wanes.
Russians fleeing across the border into Kazakhstan (pictured) should be 'cared for' because of the 'hopeless situation' they face back him, the country's president has said
100,000 Russians have crossed the border into Kazakhstan in just six days after Putin began drafting men into the military so they can fight in Ukraine
Giving a public address from Turkestan, Tokayev urged 'unity, common sense and patience' during what he called a 'very tense' global situation.
'If we lose these values, our country will be in great danger,' he warned. 'Territorial integrity of states must be preserved. This is the basic principle...
'A large-scale war is going on around us. Taking this into account, we must first of all think about the security of our country. If our border is intact, if there is no attack from outside, we will have [peace, unity, stability and growth.]'
He continued: 'The most important thing is that we should be at peace
