The protests in Kazakhstan were triggered by an increase in tax on fossil fuels.

Keeping fossil fuel as cheap as it now is will destroy civilization. Nazarbayev may be corrupt power, but on this one issue, what his opponents demand is destruction for everyone.

The recommended way to tax fossil fuels more is to return the tax money to the poor people, so that they won't be worse off overall. I would guess that Nazarbayev didn't do that. Perhaps that is worth a try.

Meanwhile, the government has obtained Russian military aid for repressing the opposition.

After repressing a protest in 2011, Nazarbayev paid Tony B'liar 13 million dollars for advice about hypocritical ways to talk about it.